


Frosty Reception

by HeatherGiesbrecht



Category: The Lord of the Rings (Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Anger, Angst, Bows & Arrows, Daggers, Eventual Romance, Fear, Gen, Horses, Jotun Loki, Loki's Kids, Love, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, POV Alternating, POV Third Person, References to Norse Religion & Lore, Shapeshifter Loki, Slash, Spears, Understanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-27
Updated: 2015-01-15
Packaged: 2018-02-27 05:53:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 69
Words: 76,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2681564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeatherGiesbrecht/pseuds/HeatherGiesbrecht
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Loki didn't fall into Chitauri Space, but into Mirkwood as Legolas was preparing to leave for Rivendell/Imladris ?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Orc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elvish translations : Nimroch - White-horse
> 
> Also, I'm changing the armour that Loki was wearing when he let go of Thor. Along with mixing book and movie appearance for Legolas - book!Legolas's grey-eyes and movie!Legolas's blond-hair.

Legolas had never seen a being such as the one that had just fallen through the thick and tangled, dark trees of Mirkwood in front of his party on the elf-path before. He dismounted from his horse, Nimroch, to examine the being, _'If not for the fact that its skin is white-blue instead of dark-blue, I would say that it was an orc.'_

Slowly, he crouched and brushed some of the long black-hair off the being's face to reveal that it was pretty and rather like an elf's. Except that unlike an elf, its ears were round like a man's. Its armour was far too fine to be that of an orc's; as it wore a combination of scale mail, steel and leather armour of dark-green, black and silver with splashes of gold.

Looked up at his black-haired advisior Glam in wonder. What with Glam's being from Doriath, the old elf was sure to know what it was, he asked, "Glam, have you seen such a being before ?"

As the others stopped around them, Glam from on his cream-colored mare shook his head, "No, Prince Legolas, I have never seen such before. As we must reach Lord Elrond's council, we cannot stop to bring it, ah, him to the castle, we must bring him with us to Imladris."

The being suddenly opened it/his eyes and he startled because the being's eyes were like dark-red blood. Said being looked confused as it pushed itself up, its voice was smooth, quiet and definitely male, "Ljosalfar and yet this looks not like Alfheim."

_'Ljosalfar, what sort of word is that ? Alf, elf ?'_

"I am Legolas Thranduilion, Prince of Mirkwood. May I ask who/what you are and what you mean ?"

The being tilted his head up and replied, "I am Loki...Laufeyson, once Prince of Asgard and I am," Here Loki shuddered, "of the Jotnar. You look, Legolas, as Ljosalfar, light-elves."

He helped Loki to his feet, "I still know not exactly what you mean Loki, but I have never seen the light of Aman nor gotten lost on the way to it. So, I must be of your Svartalfar."

Glam demanded, pointing a spear at Loki's chest, "What are Jotnar ? Are your race some new type of Orc ?"

Loki batted the spear and he saw Glam struggle to keep hold of it, "I am a...frost-giant and no, I am not some type of 'orc' whatever that is. You said Legolas that you wanted to bring me somewhere I think ?"

"An orc is a dark-blue or grey-skinned, ugly beast that serves the Dark Lord. And yes, the Lord Elrond knows many things that were on Middle-Earth. He is very wise and, if anyone will, he will know something about you're being a frost-giant and how you got here. Will you ride with me ?" This he asked as he re-mounted Nimroch.

Loki nodded and climbed up behind him, "Where does this Lord Elrond live, Legolas ?"

Set Nimroch to continue up the path toward the forest gate and sunlit grass of Mirkwood's outer-edge as he responded, "In Imladris which is many, many leagues from here, it will take weeks of travel to reach. I hope you don't mind it."

Warmth on the back of his neck as Loki breathed and the frost-'giant's arms wrapped loosely around his waist. "No, I don't, I needed some new scenery anyways. You said this World is called Middle-Earth and this place Mirkwood, no ?"

"Yes, so this Asgard is it a World or a place ?"

"Asgard is both World and place. There are eight others - Jotunheim, Vanaheim, Nornheim and Muspelheim. Along with Niflheim also known as Helheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim and lastly Nidavellir that I knew of, perhaps Middle-Earth is a tenth World."

_'Nine Worlds and I thought having Middle-Earth and Aman was enough worlds for us. How can Loki keep them all straight in his mind ?'_

As Nimroch broke into a trot on the sunlit grass, he half-twisted to look at Loki and wonder, "You say you are a jotun, but you said Jotunheim as if that is not your home. Did you have to leave it behind ? And why does Nidvaellir not end in 'heim' as the others ?"

Now, warm red-eyes glowed back at him, "Jotunheim was never my home, only Asgard. When I was just a babe, I was a runt and my father Laufey, King of Jotunheim, abandoned me to die. The Asgardian King, Odin Allfather, saved my life and I was raised thinking that I was an Asgardian with my 'brother' Thor and Mother Frigga. Nidvaellir is home of the dwarves, though I've never met one of them myself."

That made him stare at Loki and he nearly fell off Nimroch in shock, _'His father **abandoned** him ? My father would never have even dreamed of abandoning me for being smaller than he liked. This Laufey King sounds like he would have been an awful father. Hmm, trust that Nidvaellir to be home to grubby fingered dwarves.'_

"Dwarves, my father says dwarves only cause trouble and want gold. Father says that dwarves are some of the most unreliable creatures in all of Middle-Earth. Like it sounds that your father Laufey would have been. Do all the Jotnar look as you do, Loki ?"

"All of the Jotnar have white-blue skin and red-eyes, along with the ability to make ice at will. Most of the Jotnar males are seven, eight or nine feet tall and bald, unlike myself."

_'He can make ice at will ! So, he is some varient of an istar, an ice wizard mayhaps ? Lord Elrond must know something about Jotnar. Perhaps he knows or can find a way to get Loki back to Asgard.'_

They rode for another two hours before stopping for lunch near a copse of green-leaved trees that bordered the Great River.


	2. Experience

_'How can Legolas not know about the Nine Worlds, yet he knows of the Svartalfar, the dark-elves ? How could Fa-Od-Father not know of this World ?'_

Loki's gaze drifted across the river to the far mountains where storm clouds loomed. When Legolas in his brown-cloak and with shadow darkening his almost white-blond hair sat beside him; for a second, he thought this was some dream and that it was Thor instead. Except, when he opened his eyes it wasn't the middling blond-haired and bearded, tan-skinned Asgardian, but pale-skinned and light-blond Legolas of Mirkwood.

_'Does Thor miss me despite what I tried to do ? As if I could have hoped to impress the love I wanted from him when he has **damned** Sif and his **precious** Jane ! He can do so much better than that weak, **mortal** quim. How is Thor going to feel when she dies a **second** later ? No matter that I would have told him my feelings, I was always destined to be just 'little brother Loki'. Always.'_

Legolas carried a small piece of some strange fruit-bread and handed it to him, "I know not if you have eaten lately, but if you have not I ask you to try this. Now, what is it that makes you look so pensive ?"

_'Legolas actually **noticed** something without my saying anything about it. A miracle compared to Thor who could barely tell when I knew him all my life.'_

Warily, he took a bite of the bread. It was quite pleasant and sweet, rather like the ones Mother would make when himself and Thor were younger.

**Flashback**

Mother had stolen part of the kitchen from Eorl the Baker earlier that morning. Himself and Thor stopped running around to look at the baking table. Thor reached out to touch a piece of candied fruit, at least, until Mother slapped his hand away.

Mother's brown-hair shone in the light and her grey-blue eyes were warm as she sighed, "How many times must I tell you, Thor ? These are for baking, you may have one when the bread is done."

The blond boy pouted, "B-but **Moi-ther** , you let Loki have a piece earlier !", as he smiled across at his big brother.

"That is because unlike you, Thor, Loki doesn't try to steal a piece whenever I'm not looking. You could stand to learn more manners from your little brother."

"Manners are boring, I want to go and fight a-a-a bilgesnipe or a jotun, just like Father did !"

Thor's words made him laugh, "The bilgesnipe and the Jotun would just team up and kill you together, Thor. You're not nearly as big as Father is, you'd get squashed before you finished saying, "Va-"."

"Spoil fight." Yet those words didn't stop Thor from rushing to poke him and running away. He laughed and raced after the bigger boy.

**End Flashback**

_'How I wish for the days when I was younger and knew not my feelings for Thor, nor my true parentage.'_

Slowly, he shook the memory away to say, "Can I ask you, Legolas how you know of Svartalfar ? How you know of the dark-elves and yet I never mentioned them ?"

The blond elf nodded, "My mother would tell me stories of far away places, wondrous sounding ones. Places where it was possible for everyone to have magic and not just the elves. She dreamed of strange dark-elves or as she called them Svartalfar. If ever she half-woke and I was there, she would beg them not to take me. But, that is not all is it ?"

_'Could Legolas' Mother have been one of the Alfar from Alfheim who disappeared ?  I mean, according to Gra-Thor's Grandfather Bor, many of them disappeared during the fighting with Malekith and the dark-elves ? Bor also said when those Alfar disappeared, that new Alfar some of whom spoke in strange tonuges appeared at the same time.'_

Before he could tell Legolas what really worried him, the advisor Glam called from a few feet away, "Let ex-Prince Loki prove that he can turn things to ice, that he is truly an istar."

Glam's friend, the dark-red haired elf, Gail, nodded and muttered, "Yes, let the 'jotun' prove his usefulness to us. That we need not feed a useless mouth."

At that he drew from his belt a knife and threw it. Said knife clipped a piece of dark-red hair from an inch above Gail's shoulder before it spun off into the distance. "Know you Gail that I am a warrior. Not merely by armour, but by blood and I will not stand to be so insulted."

He got up and walked to the tree to which Nimroch and the other horses were tied to; slowly he put a hand on the trunk. _'Focus, breathe, imagine the air in the tree growing colder so that it freezes.'_ A faint crackling reached his ears and the horses whickered in surprise, he opened his eyes. The tree from roots to leafy top, and the ropes in between them, were covered in a fine layer of sparkling ice.

Triumphant, he turned to smirk at Gail and Glam who looked flabbergastedly at one another; before they got up and just like at home they put fists over their hearts and bowed.  
  
 _'Surely that cannot be a mere coincidence that they bow the same as the Asgardians and Vanir do. As such there must be some connection between our worlds. If only I knew what that connection were.'_

Looked over to see that Legolas was smiling at him. It was not a brash almost cute smile like one of Thor's, but a warm and charming one all the same. Then Legolas' expression soured faintly and he hissed, " **Spiders** , the spiders are coming out ! Why ? They have never done so before.", as the blond elf grabbed his quiver off of Nimroch's saddle and slung it on his back.

"What sort of spiders ?"

"Giant ones."

_'Mikil kvkivendi ? I thought Jotunheim was the only World with creatures that were all too large. Ah, well, live to fight again and gain Valhalla or Hel alone.'_

When he spotted an extra spear laying by Glam's horse, he picked it up. Just as enormous, hairy, black-brown spiders swarmed out of the gloomy trees and over the grass towards them.


	3. Spiders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elvish translations (From the last and this chapter): Glam - Shouting/Uproar
> 
> Gail - Bright light
> 
> Air - Holy
> 
> Acharn - Vengeance

Legolas nocked and released two arrows into some of the approaching spiders. Beside him Loki snarled, " **For Asgard** !", before charging to thrust the six foot cavalry spear into one of the giant, brown-black bodies that squealed in pain. Glam and Gail were fighting side-by-side with their long-knives. Whilst black-haired Air and dark-blond Acharn like himself used their bows.

One of the spiders webs latched onto Gail's knives and pulled the dark-red haired elf towards itself. Well, it did until Loki leapt to slice through the spider-silk with the single stroke of a dagger and froze both thread and spider. When Loki ducked, he nocked another arrow and loosed it right through the frozen spider's head.

A spider that he hadn't noticed tackled him. While they fell, he felt its pincers snapping inches from his neck as he braced his hands against them. Growled as he forced the pincers apart hard enough to snap them and kicked the giant spider in its stomach to throw it off. He back-flipped to land on his feet as he unsheathed one of his own ivory handled long-knives to stab it in the stomach. It shrieked as it curled up in pain and he punched it in the face.

Someone screamed in pain, then Loki was calling, "The river, lead them to the **river** !"

He ducked under Nimroch, grabbing his bow from where it had slid. To see that Glam was bleeding and laying on the ground, while Gail, Air and Acharn were all running toward the river. They were pursued by what seemed like a stream of giant spiders. As he had incredibly easy targets, he started picking and taking out as many of the spiders legs as he had arrows left.

Watched in mute amazement as after most of the, now, greatly limping spiders plunged into the river; the Great River froze over top of them. _'Truly, Loki must be some type of istar. Unless, the Jotnar are some far distant relative of the Eldar.'_

Unsheathed his last long-knife to join the others in hacking apart the frozen spiders. As the parts washed away, Gail sulkily murmured, just loud enough for everyone to hear, "Thankee Laufeyson for making it easier on us all."

The thunder storm broke over them as Gail helped Glam back to the make-shift camp. When he didn't see Loki, he looked back at the river to see that the Jotun was just standing there and staring up at the sky as lightning flashed and thunder roared.

_'Is he feeling all right ? Is he going to go into shock...or is he **already** in shock because of wherever he fell from ? Even if Lord Elrond knows nothing of his species, Imladris must be able to help Loki heal from whatever caused him to come here. Was it a falling out with his adopted family, something to do with Loki's birth family ?'_

Slowly, as Loki moved out of the river and up the bank, he went to meet his red-eyed acquaintance. His eyes swept over Loki's armour to see that it wasn't even slightly dented. In response, Loki's own eyes swept over him and then the jotun nodded to himself. The camp was moved to be fully under the copse with Nimroch and the horses.

Air started a small fire to boil water. So that after it cooled they could cleanse Glam's wound and then Acharn would bind it. Meanwhile Loki was, still, just staring into the rain through the trees.

"Loki ?"

Loki startled and the black-haired head jerked up to look at him, "Yes, Legolas ?"

"Are you- that is, how did you end up coming here to Middle-Earth ?"

He didn't expect his question to make the other grimace and say tersely, "I wish not to talk of it, yet."

"Of course, I apologize. You know me not and yet here I am asking you such a thing."

Though his apology got silence as a first reward, a faint smile was his second, and it was far different from the smirk of minutes ago. That smile was soft and warm, almost lovely even. They all sat in silence, expect for Air and Acharn who talked softly, until the thunderstorm stopped.

_'After that battle, I'm glad for the clean smell of the rain. I wonder what made Loki do all that staring into the storm. Does it remind him of his family, his brother somehow ?'_


	4. Reflection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suldal - Wind foot

Loki was falling, falling as blackness, stars and planets spun around him while something burned horribly. Like when on Jotunheim that jotun had touched him and his skin had sparked as Father's appearance spell faded, but the pain was so much worse now.

_'Idiot, idiot, I never should have let go, even prison would be better than this pain. For all I know, I'll never see Mother or Thor or, or even **Father** , ever again.'_

He must have blacked out because then a woman's voice, young and yet heavy as the course of time, was asking, "What would thee do to be worthy of thy Father ?"

_'My father ? Why would I want to be worthy of that ass Laufey ?'_

"Not Laufey, thy only Father of worth, Odin. What would you do to become once again worthy of the name Odinson ?"

 "Anything, anything at all ! Please."

**End Dream**

Someone was shaking him, "Loki, Loki, wake up."

He mumbled, "Go 'way, Thor.", more shaking and he rolled over trying to ignore it.

"Loki, wake up, we must get ready."

Then he woke up enough to realize that it wasn't Thor's warm, deep voice, but someone else's. While it was still warm, the voice was far lighter than Thor's.

Once again, he rolled over and opened his eyes to see Legolas's worried grey-ones looking down at him, as the long and mostly loose, except for two braided parts over Legolas' tipped ears, hair hung down nearly in his face.

Mental pain and heartbreak as he realized that the only things he had besides memories of home were his clothes, his armour and his knives; the only person he had close to a friend was Legolas, there was no Mother, no Thor or Father, not even the annoyance that was Sif's presence to soothe it.

_'I am not going to cry, I **refuse** , it's undignified and I don't even know him that well.'_

Legolas tilted his head, the pale, pretty face briefly filled with both sadness and understanding, then he spoke again, "Perhaps you would feel somewhat better after bathing and eating ?"

All he could do was nod and force himself to swallow the lump in his throat as the tears threatened to fall. As he got out of his bedroll and up to move around the trees, he looked over at the fire. Perhaps because of his other thoughts, or mayhaps it was just wishful thinking that Acharn the dark-blond and green-eyed elf, who was tending the fire and breakfast, looked vaguely similar to Fandral another one of Thor's and, ostensibly, one of his own friends.

The grass was damp under his bare feet, turning to dark-dirt and stones as he approached the bank, the river looked calm with only a few small waves lapping against the shore. Seconds later, he pulled off his black tunic and pants to lay them on the grass and then, ignoring his, completely wrong, reflection, walked into the waist-deep water.

_'Nothing seems as cold now as it did before Thor, the others and I went to Jotunheim. Is it because I'm actively embracing my Jotnar magic to create ice ? As by all means I may be stuck in this form for the next four, maybe, five thousand or so years, I might as well **try** to get used to it.'_

Without another thought he started washing himself, when he got to his left-side, though there was no scarring from the claw-marks, he remembered the bear.

**Flashback**

Terrified, because the brown bear just wouldn't stop following him. He tried to run faster as his chest hurt and his legs felt weak. A giant roar, then he gasped from the pain as the force from the giant bear's paw sent his, not even ten years old, body flying face-first into the trunk of an oak tree. It made him whimper as he felt the blood very quickly soaking through his green tunic.

_'Where's Thor ? Where is he, where is he ? D-did th-the bear get him too ?'_

Forced himself to turn over, to look around the clearing for Thor's bloody body and didn't see it. Distant, but loud voices coming slowly closer as, once again, the bear started towards him.

Father's, concerned, voice shouting, " **Loki !** Loki Odinson, where are you ?!"

His voice a shrill shriek, " **Father** **!** ", that he wasn't sure would go as far as he needed it too.

Rushed voices and more feet, then a blast of orange energy from Father's spear Gungnir hit the bear in its side causing it to turn, roar and then charge at Father.

Golden armour clashed with brown-fur, he must have blacked out because the next thing he knew Father's grey-eye was worried, but happily looking down at him. "You'll be okay, Hilde with have you healed again in no time."

"Father where's-,"

"Loki, Loki ! I-I'm sorry !"

"Thor."

He smiled as Thor rushed up to take his hand with Mother beside them.

**End Flashback**

That memory briefly lifted his emotional pain, but left a strong need for familiar faces in its wake. When he ducked under the water, as the fish swam around him, he wished that when he surfaced he would be in the cherry tree surrounded lake at home. Of course, that didn't happen and when he did surface, the black-haired and hazel-eyed elf Air was walking back along the bank towards himself and the camp.

_'Distract yourself. Hmm, Air was scouting ? So, we're likely going down the river then ? How many days will it be until we reach the mountains ? What're the mountains called ?'_

As he walked out of the water, Air met him on the stony bank. Nearly everyone, but Legolas had been staring at him on and off, but  Air had been staring at him almost constantly since yesterday afternoon when they'd been helping Legolas pick up his loose arrows, and his own throwing knives, from farther down the shore.

Air hummed a tune looking him over before asking, "If you are what Jotnar look like, then what do those...what did you call them ?"

"Asgardians."

"Yes, those Asgardians what do they look like ?"

"Midgardians, ah, that is mortals, but the average Asgardian life-span is five thousand years."

Those hazel-eyes sparked, "Five thousand years and yet they look like humans ? That's amazing ! What then is the average span of Jotnar do you know ?"

_'Well, 'Father' said that the average was six thousand for regular Jotnar, but that for the royal Jotnar or Ymirkind it was far less because we get murdered or poisoned or such.'_

He started drying himself with a clean, emerald-green cloth someone had left on top of his clothes; that was a theme with these elves he noticed - if it was not green like their tights, it was brown like, the majority, of their cloaks and tunics.

Shook himself as he realized that Air's look had turned concerned, he dropped the cloth and started dressing, "According to Laufey it's a thousand years more for Jotnar as we are even harder to kill than the Asgardians. It's only for the Ymirkind that our lives are shorter because of the usual methods - battle, poison, murder, **'accidents'** like drowning under the ocean's ice. Enough of my talk, you were scouting were you not, Air ?"

Air smoothed and then tightened his pony-tailed hair, before nodding, "Yes, I was, the bank is clear right up until the Old Ford where we'll cross two days from now, if Glam's wound will let us; and at least, if we don't get attacked by more spiders or a raiding band of orcs."

_'I almost want to see some of these 'orc's that they claim I look like.'_

In front of them, Mirkwood's dark-trees rustled in a stiff wind as himself and Air walked back to the camp. Legolas, Acharn and Gail along with Glam were sat at the fire as they joined them. They were passed small apples, more of the strange, purple-fruit bread and some 'wood-elf' ale, that was strong enough that even he, who was used to some very strong Asgardian drinks, nearly spit it out. The only one whose laughter was more than merry was Glam, who's laughter was tinged with suspicion of him, and likely would remain so of him for quite a while.

While they ate, Air wondered, "Loki, what does 'Ymirkind' mean ?"

Legolas also looked interested at the word and he took a bite of his apple before stating, looking at both elves, "Children of Ymir. Ymir was the father of the Jotnar and the tallest of us. Legend says that he was over twenty feet tall, but only his direct descendants, more specifically the Kings and Queens are allowed to be called Ymirkind and then only on Jotunheim."

_'I should have been Prince of Jotunheim if 'Father' had not abandoned me. Thrice accursed bastard, I'm **glad** that I killed him.'_

After they finished eating, they packed up and he got onto Nimroch after Legolas. While Gail helped Glam onto his cream mare Suldal, then they started off down the bank.


	5. Valog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Valog is of my own creation, but :
> 
> Beorn is from The Hobbit books/movies so I don't own him. 
> 
> Elbereth Gilthoniel is one of the Valar or 'Gods' really the Valar are the highest ranking 'Angels', like Gandalf is one of the Maiar or 'lesser Angels'. Anyways Elbereth is supposed to be the insperation for Snow White, the Lady of the Stars one could say, that may be wrong, it's been a while since I've read The Silmarillion.
> 
> Luthien is also from The Silmarillion she was the half-Elvish/half-Valar (I think it's Valar), Princess of Doriath and one of, if not the, most beautiful elf-maid to ever live, she had the ability to shapeshift with elven and Valarian spells.

Legolas steered Nimroch away from the Great River, nearer to the shade of the trees as the far away pounding of heavily booted orc feet reached his ears. Twisted in the saddle to look at Loki, "You said you wished to meet an orc, did you not Loki ? Can you hear them already ?"

The black-haired being nodded, "Yes, I did, it's too bad that I don't know the Asgardian appearance spell that my Father put on me. I would have liked to have them think they were beaten by a mere mortal, and no I can't. Do they really look nearly as I do ?"

_'He didn't always look as he does now ? How odd would it be to think you look one way for years and then find that you look completely different ? It would certainly be a blow to anyone's self-esteem, even Loki's.'_

"Their skin is a few shades darker than yours and with your features you would look more like a commander than a foot soldier, especially with your armour which would be incredibly fancy for any orc. Why do you ask ?"

Loki smirked at him, "Well, it looks like the Norns are starting to smile on me, again. I have magical abilities that I told you not of as I don't fully trust you, yet. I can change my appearance with and without illusions, as I am also a shape-shifter."

_'Norns ? What are these 'Norns' ? Are they some sort of Asgardian/Jotnar version of Valar ? That is what they sound like at the very least. I thought the ability to change one's skin was only a trait of Haleth's children, Luthien and evil things.'_

"You are a skin-changer like Beorn ? Ah, that is, Beorn can change himself into a bear, but he can only change once a day and is stuck until nightfall. He lives farther down by the Old Ford. It is likely we will run into him. He does not love the orcs any more than I, but he knows you even less than myself and so I would be wary were I you." 

The smirk faded into an interested expression, "I should very much like to meet this Beorn as well then. Now, you say the orcs skin is darker than mine, is this close ?"

He couldn't help, but gasp as an instant later, Loki's skin was a nearly perfect match for any orc's that he had ever seen. Behind them Acharn's roan stallion, appropriately called Rosroch, reared and whinnied shrilly in fright.

Glam, frieghtened, and, as was his wont it seemed, supsicious of Loki, exclaimed, "Elbereth Gilthoniel save us ! We're helping a monster."

Acharn replied angrily, as he calmed Rosroch, "Oh shut thy mouth would thee, 'Advisor' Glam ? If he wanted to kill us he would have done so last night as we slept or even easier, he would have let the spiders kill us first. I tire of your constant suspicion of new allies, we are not in Doriath any longer, the sons of Feanor are either dead or long lost ! How King Oropher put up with thee I know not as I barely do."

_'I forgot that Acharn was with my grandfather as well when they came to Mirkwood, it is hard to imagine my home as it was when it was called Greenwood the Great. How I would have loved to see my home in its glory and not this shadow !'_

Both himself and Air laughed as Glam glared at them and Gail on his grey horse, also appropriately called Mithroch, snorted in response.

The orcs footsteps had been advancing on them during all this and as the orcs were visible on the tree and dirt lined horizon, Loki asked, "Will thee all play along with me ? I was not called Silver-tongue and God of Mischief on Asgard for nought." as he dismouted from Nimroch to stand in front of their group.

One of the tallest at just over six foot, so everyone was roughly the same height, and best looking, though it said not much, of the orcs stalked up to Loki. It had grey-yellow eyes, wore patchy armour and had stringy, black-hair. Its pointed teeth were yellowed at the tips and it snarled, shoving Loki as it did so, "What'choo think you're doing with all those damn pointy ears 'n horses ? You ain't going to eat them all by yourself."

Those words elicited many growls and hisses of support from the shorter orcs with far more disfigured faces. Some whose right eye was disproportionately bigger than their left, others who had hardly any lips and bulging skin over their cheeks and foreheads. Didn't bother to repress the shudder of disgust they still brought on even after all this time.

It, almost, surprised him that when Loki punched the lead orc. The force sent the orc crashing into its underlings and said underlings also ended up sprawled on the grass. Loki let out a terrific sounding roar and then snarled back, "Who said I feel like sharing with you, Bloody Breath ? You **didn't** help me catch them, you want them ? Go in there and get **your own** damned pointy ears. These are **my** captives and I am not sharing."

Said Jotun emphasized his point by striding over to one of the orcs and snapped its neck with a fluid movement, before dropping the body. Said orc had decided earlier to try and pull him off Nimroch. It had almost succeeded, at least, until Loki came over. _'If I knew not what he truly was, he certainly would have fooled me. Especially with how cold his eyes have gone, as if he does indeed think of me as food.'_

The lead orc got up with a nasty smile, "I like you, what's your name ?"

"Bani, yours ?"

"Valog, it's nice to meet a Captain who's not a damned coward for once. We'll see you back in Mordor then, if the cursed elves don't kill you, Bani."

Loki nodded, "Of course, Valog. Though considering who I have it's not likely unless I get lucky."

Valog with a black glare at himself, hissed in response before turning and leading his unit away. It was only when Valog and the other orcs had run out of sight that he released his breath and tried to calm his racing heart.

Someone asked, "What does 'Bani' mean ?" Distantly, he realized that it was himself.

Loki's skin lightened back to white-blue in a second and he turned to them with a chuckle, "It means 'Death' in Asgardian."  
  
All of them let out peals of relieved laughter at the irony. _'I-I didn't think that would work. Oh, oh, thank Elbereth for Loki.'_


	6. Catch

Loki faced the nearly seven-foot tall, silvering black-haired and bearded Beorn and he couldn't help, but be glad that he'd shifted into an elvish form. _'It still can't be so far-fetched a connection as Beorn sounds so similar to Bjorn. They should have named him Mikilbjorn, Great-bear.'  
_

Beorn rumbled, "You say that you are going to Rivendell ? To visit the other elves, no ?"

Legolas, himself and the others shared looks. Glam, chosen as their spokes-elf, nodded and replied, "Yes, Chief Beorn, we go to seek council with His Lordship Elrond Half-elven about urgent matters."

_'This Elrond is a half-elf ? I didn't think any of the Alfar from any World would take a human or any other being for husband or wife just for pleasure. At least, his Lordship's parents actually loved him. Unlike Father in my later years, who just ignored me in favour of Thor...every time we did something together, which was nearly all the time.'_

The tan-skinned man scratched at his arm, before the grey-eyes swept over to him. Those eyes stopped on him and the bear-shifter demanded, " **You** ! You smell strange. What are you ? Who are you ? Tell me before I rip you apart !"

_'Okay, so I finally found someone who has worse temper tantrums than Thor. Just wonderful, this is what I always wanted to find. The Norns said I was supposed to help guard some 'Ring-bearer', not deal with an **even angrier** , black-haired version of Thor !'_

**Flashback**

Suddenly, he found himself sitting in the roots of a great ash tree - Yggdrasil, perhaps ? A light-blond haired, seven foot-tall, female jotun stood over him. Most of her pupils were bright-silver and only her irises were ringed in dark-red.

_'S-she, must, she has to be a-a, a Norn ? W-why would the Norns care if I'm worthy of my father's name ?'_

The Norn nodded in response to his thoughts, "Yes, I am the Norn called Skuld. And you, until you have proven yourself, again, are Loki Laufeyson or whatever name you wish, but for Odinson. Now, will you do this even though it means risking your very life for beings that you know not ? If it means protecting the Ring-bearer through things that make you wish you never agreed to it ?"

"He could be the bearer of bilgesnipe waste and I would do it, O lovely Skuld."

Skuld chuckled gently, "We will be watching over your future. I and my sisters, as well, wish you luck. It is time for you to awaken."

When he opened his eyes, a light-blond haired and pale-skinned alf leaned over him.

**End Flashback**

He abandoned his elvish-form and quickly raised his hands, "I swear to you that I mean you no harm or ill will. I am Loki Mithiam of Asgard and one of the Jotnar or frost-giants. Like you, Beorn, I am a shape-shifter, but unlike you I am not limited to one form. I beg thy gracious pardon for my deception. Legolas and the others told me that you have killed many orcs and since I look very much like one, I wanted to risk it not."

_'After seeing Valog and those orcs yesterday I don't want a fight. Not with Beorn, though I truly could take him easily.'_

While he looked about the white walls, more specifically, at the long pine-table, and the roaring fire in the hearth; it reminded him painfully of the dining hall at home.

Beorn huffed, before moving to sit at the table's head and gesturing to them as well, "Where is this Asgard, O Loki of the Frost ?"

After he sat with Air on his left and Legolas on his right, Legolas who had Glam on his left etc.. "Asgard is long from here. I doubt even your fastest flying ship to Valinor, as Glam mentioned to me earlier, could reach it. It is one of the Nine Worlds of Yggdrasil."

_'Yet more similarity with Valhalla and Valinor to be only reached by some form of air travel. Though Valhalla is not physical and Valinor is. Somehow could the Norns have helped to build this World or the other ways around ?'_

When he mentioned, "Yggdrasil.", everyone started trying to pronounce it and saying, "Ygdr-asil.". Instead of how he had been taught, "Igg-dra-sil.", though it was easy to forgive.

_'Never thought I that I would encounter ones who knew not of the World Tree.'_

It surprised him when it was not Air, but Gail who asked, "What is Yggdrasil, Loki ?"

"Yggdrasil is the World Tree. If you were to draw a map of the Nine Worlds it would form the tree with Midgard at its roots and the others as leaves on its branches."

They asked many questions of the tree and he answered them as Father had answered when himself and Thor had done the same. Sometime later when the questions had stopped, Beorn inquired, "You have need of a horse do you not, Loki ?"

"Yes, that I do."

Beorn gave a hearty chuckle, "If you can catch one of 'em, I swear that you can keep that one."

_'Considering that I can shape-shift it shouldn't be too hard. Maybe I can use my magic to lure one with food.'_

He got up and went outside and looked from the bright-blue sky, just like Thor's eyes, to the dark-pine forest and Misty Mountains. Then he listened for Beorn's horses; minutes later, he followed the dim neighs into a clearing. There was one grey spotted mare, one roan stallion and a few painted mares.

It took him, but seconds to shift himself into a horse-form and get used to having four legs and a tail. Slowly, he walked into the clearing and concentrating on the grass in front of the stallion willed the grass to lift itself up. If he could have, he would have laughed as the roan stared at the floating grass for a second, before just blasely eating it.

Shook his mane as he looked into the roan's brown-eyes, before resting his head on the stallion's neck; that was when he shifted back into his own jotun form to wrap his arms around its stomach, of course, this change caused the horse to try to bolt as the others did. Except that because he was Jotnar born for thick and slippery ice, not the tiles of Asgard or this grass he was far heavier than he looked and the horse didn't move at all.

Still he was wanting a bit of a challenge and he lifted his feet off the ground. Immediately, the horse started bucking, then slamming him into trees. The impact made his armour rattle/clang and the leaves to quiver as still it tried trying to shake him off. Unconscious laughter left his lips because nothing the horse tried would work. Eventually, sometime, perhaps hours later, both said roan and himself just leaned against a tree. As he stroked the horse's darker-red mane, he chuckled, "I shall call you Varr, it means 'Wary' in Asgardian and you are certainly such."

The sound of clapping startled him and his head jerked up towards the far side of the clearing. To see that it was Legolas and for some reason, it made him blush to realize that.

Varr finally let him get down from where he was pinned against a thick trunk. Legolas walked into the clearing wondering, "Are you all right ? You took quite a beating to wear Varr down."

"I am fine, Legolas. It would take a far bigger and stronger horse than this to injure me."

_'Like the one time that Father asked me to catch Sleipnir for him. I remember I got kicked hard enough to crack a rib. Sleipnir must have had some force in it, now that I know what I truly am.'_

Legolas helped him to guide Varr back to Beorn's cottage. When they arrived Air, Acharn along with Beorn, Glam and Gail were all waiting outside and looking surprised.

Beorn called, "Truly, Loki you must be strong enough to beat me as I only caught him in my youth. Now, you cannot delay your time to stay with me any longer, but know all you this: If you have need of food, clothes or shelter my cottage is always open and if I live no longer, then my son Grimbeorn will give you thus."

Beorn also gave him a saddle, a pack and some clothes that looked as though they would fit him. Thusly set, he saddled Varr and mounted the roan. It felt odd to be on a horse by himself after a few days of having Legolas' warmth in front of him. Of always seeing the blond hair and long-bow in front of him.

Varr followed after white Nimroch as they crossed the grey-stone of the Old Ford. Slowly they headed toward the foot-hills, and eventually the High Pass, of the Misty Mountains.


	7. Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who doesn't know, LotR elves sleep with their eyes open.
> 
> Sindarin Translation: Timbelin - Fading star
> 
> Rough Old Norse/Asgardian Translation : Hel eitr hani - Dead poison cock

Barely two hours from Beorn's cottage, Legolas looked over his shoulder as, once again, Varr nudged Nimroch; whilst Loki looked as confused as he must have. On either side of Loki and Varr, were Air and his silver-grey gelding Timbelin. Along with Acharn and Rosroch, at the tail of the group were Glam and Suldan, while the very last was Gail and Mithroch.  
  
 _'It was...different seeing Loki as an elf. I think that I prefer his jotun-form though as I saw it first. It is much more interesting to look at than the nearly 'repeated' looks of elves and men. Well, Loki's meeting with Beorn went much smoother than I thought it would. Though, nothing could have beaten the fight that Loki and Glam got into yesterday after Valog left and we started moving again.'_

**Flashback**

It was hard to resist the urge to press against Loki as the jotun leaned forward to peer around him. Loki's breath was curiously, and oddly thrillingly, cold against his ear, "Legolas, what is that shape in the distance ?"

_'Despite being friends with Aragorn, it is hard to remember that humans and, in this case, jotuns don't have the senses that I do. I can see Beorn's cottage perfectly clear and the forest beyond. While Loki sees it not.'_

"That is Beorn descendant of Haleth's cottage. The Beornings are all shape-shifters and normally led by a Beorn or some varient of. They are some of the oldest people to live in the area, they came here even before us wood-elves."

_'I care not that Father says I am Silvan and not Sindarin, the Silvan are my people as the Asgardians are Loki's.'_

"Who was Haleth ?"

Before he could answer, Glam spat, "It matters not to you, so why ask ?"

A growl in his ear as Loki turned, "I have told you of my World, some of my history, do I not deserve such in return ?"

"No ! You are a monster, just like the Necromancer in Dol Guldur."

Nimroch suddenly got much lighter; he turned to see that Loki had sprang and back-flipped off Nimroch's rear, to twist through the air and tackled Glam off of Suldan. Jotun and elf thudded to the grass.

"Oh, does poor Loki Eglan not like being called a monster ?"

He turned Nimroch to walk and stand over Loki and Glam, before exclaiming, "He is not 'Forsaken', Glam ! You may not be one, but he has friends here."

"Like how he made fast friends with that orc Captain Valog, my Prince ? It will not be long before the Dark One senses and comes after him to doom us all."

Loki glared down at Glam before getting up and re-mounting Nimroch with an angry hiss of, "Hel eitr hani.", that ended with a slightly malicious laugh.

**End Flashback**

Around them, the pine trees were slowly starting to thin and turn to scrub-brush mixed with rocks. The sky had started to darken to evening as he called a stop so that the dressing on Glam's leg could be changed, as it had earlier that morning. After they had tied the horses around one of the trees and Glam's dressing was changed, he and Loki helped Acharn to make aras or deer stew for supper.

By the time they had finished eating, it was full dark and the stars had started to emerge. Far away he could still hear the Anduin rushing as an owl called above them. Acharn sat at the fire as Air got up to brush and clean Timbelin for the second time. Loki got up and moved slowly away from the fire to look up at the stars.

When Loki lay down on the grass, he quelled the urge to walk and then lay beside his newest friend. At least, until some time had passed and he couldn't resist the urge any more. Every once in a while he couldn't help looking at the jotun. A few times he was quite sure that Loki had fallen asleep, but then realizing that no he was still awake.

_'I remember when Mother showed me these stars. She said even after so many years they were still foreign to her. I wonder was she from Loki's Alfheim ?'_

**Flashback**

He turned to look at his mother, her slightly darker-blond hair silvered in the star light.

"Mother what's that big winged one called ?"

"In my old tongue they don't have an exact word for it, but we called them Molfluga or Flour-fly instead. In Sindarin it's Gwilwering."

"Were there giant Molflugan there ?"

A soft chuckle and she rolled over, her green-eyes glowing, to look down at him, "No, but they were still very beautiful."

**End Flashback**

After they'd both been looking up for a while, Loki wondered, "What's that one, Legolas ?"

"Which one ?"

One white-blue skinned hand rose and a slim finger pointed, "That butterfly one, what's it called ?"

Smiled as finally he was able to explain something's meaning, "It's called Gwilwering in Sindarin and Wilwarin in Quenya. What is it called in Asgardian ?"

"There's no word for 'Butter' in Asgardian. So, we settle and call them 'Molfluga' or flour-fly."

At those words, he stared at Loki in shock, the jotun's brow furrowed, "Is something wrong ?"

Speechless for a time, he managed to say, "N-no, I don't think so, but..."

Dark-ruby eyes glowed warmly in the darkness as Loki repeated, "But, what ?"

"My mother called them Molfluga too, c-could...do you think ?"

They both uttered, "They're connected...somehow, I don't know how !", and then burst out laughing at themselves.

Glam interrupted them with a shout of, "Legolas na **ir** , Loki ?!"

Loki gave him a quizzical look and he blushed deeply, resisting the urge to turn his face away.

_'How can he say that ? O-of course I don't want sex with Loki...do I ?'_

"Don't mind him, it's nothing important. He's just still annoyed at you."

The jotun yawned and nodded in response before laying back down, while he raised himself to glare at his advisor. Glam was laughing evilly at the fire or, at least, Glam was until he grabbed a pebble and threw it at the black-haired elf's head.

His glare turned into a smile as the pebble hit with a good, solid **thwack** and he smothered his laughter as the advisor rubbed his forehead. Glam's counter volley of three pebbles and one stone missed as he lay back down, eventually he drifted into sleep.


	8. Apologize

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blom stiarna is my own creation.

Loki groaned when the blond-beard scratched against his cheek and then Thor's lips brushed fire against his lips, before moving slowly down his chin. Blood pounded in his ears as soft lips slid over his neck and bright, blue-eyes glowed up at him.

A ragged, "I-I missed you, Loki. Why didn't you **take me** with you ?", from Thor. That as he ran his fingers lightly over Thor's well defined obliques and abdominals, watching the lovely twitches and shudders it got in response. Incoherent with pleasure, the words didn't come and then Legolas was leaning over him. The elf's skin even paler than normal now that it was pressed against Thor's tan. Straight white-blond mixed with curly golden as the princes kissed.

He hummed and blinked slowly as the rising sun warmed his face. _'Hmm, what I wouldn't give for **that** dream to be real. While it was nice to see, just **what** did Glam say last night to make Legolas blush that darkly ?'_

The warmth from the sun and his good mood vanished as he rolled over. While Legolas was staring peacefully up at the sky, arms crossed lightly over his chest, he was **too** still. Legolas wasn't blinking...at all, when he looked closer those grey-eyes were covered in a faint film, "Aaaah ! Legolas ! Legolas,Legolas!" When he shook the elven-prince it didn't get any response, Legolas j-just...flopped.

Rage had him swiftly back by the fire where Glam was just waking; he grabbed Glam by the throat to lift both elf and bedroll.

_'H-he's dead ? He's dead, Legolas is dead ! How can he be dead ? **Nornsdamnit, how ?** He was perfectly fine last night ! Did Glam kill him so I couldn't 'influence' him anymore ?'_

Blue-eyes widened in terror as he snarled, "What did you do to him ?! You thrice accursed bastard what did you do to **Legolas** ?"

"W-what do you mean ? I-I didn't **do** anything !"

" **You murdered him !** " Quickly, he dropped the black-haired elf as he noticed that Glam's throat was turning dark-blue with ice, like his wrist on Jotunheim after his guantlet had shattered. Stared at his hands as he backed away, _'I didn't want that to happen ! Why did it happen ?'_

A hand landed on his shoulder and terrified of what could happen, he shrieked, "Don't touch me ! Don't touch me !"

Air's eyes were concerned and slightly pained as he turned and ran from the camp, not stopping until he was...somewhere in the foot-hills. Shaken and still shaking, he curled up in the roots of an ancient oak tree, _' **Thor's** tree, I just want to go home. I want **Mother** ! Mother would know what to do, Mother always knew...'_

The familiar, harsh croak of two ravens above him, just like Father's Huginn and Muninn, finally broke him. When he managed to stop crying as he blinked he noticed something faintly familiar poking out of a root, a little amythest colored, star-shaped flower with a long twisting stem. _'Blom stiarna ? Mother had some of those in her garden.'_

**Flashback**

Mother lowered a dried, purple-flower that was star-shaped to him as his little hand reached for it. "What is it, Mother ? It's kind of funny-pretty."

Mother's warm laughter and then, "This Loki is called 'Blom stiarna', the star-flower. There are only a few here, but in a far, **far** away World they are many and called 'El Varda' or 'Gil Varda', the star of Varda. They posses great magic, if you wear one it will protect you from all but the very worst of ice and snow."

"Can you eat it ?"

"The seeds can be eaten to weaken ice-spells for a short time, but only one or two otherwise it can be very dangerous and kill people. Did you want this one as a bracelet ?"

"Yeah, please."

**End Flashback**

Carefully, he plucked the little flower and shook out a little silver-white seed as leaves started to fall in a breeze; it had a slight sting on the tongue and a faintly spicy taste.

A pained animal's yelp and thud, then Acharn's voice came from the oak's far side, "Loki ? Loki can you hear me ? Legolas isn't dead ! You always woke after us and we forgot to tell you that elves sleep with their eyes open. Oh, and there are also wargs here."

_'Legolas is alive ? **He's alive !** Vargs ? That should be **vargar** and well, of course, there would be wolves we're in the hills...the horses !'_

He got up, unsheathing a knife from his belt and wished that he'd been clear-headed enough to bring his spear with. When he reached Acharn there was the body of a large, male, brown wolf laying on the roots and the dark-blond was pulling his arrow out of its throat.

As he and Acharn started to make their way out of the shallow valley, Acharn stopped and whispered, "Pups ?" Then he followed the elf back to a cave hidden behind a younger, twisted and lightning-hollowed oak. A light-brindled mother and three pups - one brown with light-spots, one black-furred and the last a brindle, that were a few months old. The mother snarled at them and he sheathed the knife.

"Oh, oh, Lady Nienna have mercy ! Oh, Varda Elbereth, Loki, I think I just killed their father."

Acharn dug a few strips of dried deer meat out of his pack and placed them at the den's entrance. The black-furred pup, its gold-eyes glowing, rushed out yipping at them, before snatching a strip of meat and dragging it inside. Despite the circumstances of the discovery, he couldn't help laughing at the little pup's exuberance.

_'I think they'll be just fine, they look ready to start helping with the hunting soon.'_

They made their way back out of the valley, Legolas was holding Varr's reins, the blond elf gave him an apologetic smile while handing the reins over. He and the others had been waiting by the road that led up to the High Pass. Glam looked infuriatingly smug at the sight of him because, of course, now he was going to have to apologize for nearly killing the waste-breathed idiot.

_'I. Don't. Want. To. Apologize. Screw him with Mjolnir lightning-lit.'_

Chuckled at his thought, before he forced himself to walk up to the advisor and bow, "I...apologize...Glam Ivarion, I should not have done what I did."

Green-eyes glowed maliciously and he wished even more for the hammer to fly out of nowhere and into Glam's face, "I suppose I can accept the apology...for Mirkwood and Legolas sake alone."

Snarled and clenched his fists before ignoring it and mounted Varr. Legolas passed him a piece of...haha, patato pancake ! _'Yes ! How long has it been since I had one of these ? Nearly a week or something far too long, either way.'_

Found himself sneaking looks at Legolas, just to make sure the elf-prince was indeed still alive, as he ate. This time it was Nimroch who was nudging Varr as they made their way up the path.


	9. Mist

Once again, Legolas, sat against the cave wall, was watching Loki watch the storm. The jotun smiled slightly as lightning struck a rock spur on the other side of the chasm. Glam, who sat opposite him, was glaring at Loki because he and the others could hardly stand Glam's attitude. Of course, the advisor was blaming Loki for this.

_'Pfft, it's his own fault that we don't like him. He's the one who's alienating Loki. Glam needs to get bit by a rabid bat or a cougar ! Maybe that would help Loki cheer up a bit more, I still don't like how he ran off this morning. He could have gotten hurt or broken his neck, but he did seem happier after he and Acharn came back. And since that...really long named being saved him.'_

Simply because he wanted to, and to spite Glam to the fullest extent, he got up and walked to join Loki at the grey cave's mouth. It had taken them the whole day to find this cave because Glam claimed that he lost the Hithaeglir map. Only to find it again...after they had gotten lost for the sixth time and Loki had started falling a hundred feet to a messy death. Only to be saved by a...a, ha that was it, a ethursbjargkvikvendi or giant-stone being.

**Flashback**

He watched Loki trying to, as gently as possible, get Varr to walk back up from where the roan had slid on the shale. Varr whickered as Loki finally pushed the horse upward, then the jotun's weight worked against him and he was falling. It was hard to resist the urge to do more than just shout, "Loki !", helplessly.

Loki slammed into a jagged piece of mountain farther down and...the piece of mountain moved ! It raised itself into a giant being over thirty feet tall, made of huge pieces of dark-grey stone standing on the mountain's edge and Loki was standing on its head.

Suddenly Loki was shouting, "Ethursjargkvikvendi, Faethir, ethursbjargkvikvendi ! I told you I saw one, **I told you** ! You had better tell him that I was right, **Heimdall** !"

_'Heimdall ? What sort of a name is that ?'_

Then Loki was climbing down the giant's shoulder and the giant was saying something to him and Loki was responding to it. The last thing Loki said to it was, "Heill Moethir, heill Odin Allrfaethir."

His gaze was drawn down the mountain by movement. A jotun in an ash-bark colored robe with bright-silver eyes looked back at him before it just...vanished in a suddenly rising mist.

_'Who was that ? W-was that one of Loki's Norns ?'_

**End Flashback**

He sat down beside the jotun and asked, "Why do you always stare at the storms, Loki ? If you don't mind my asking, of course."

A soft, simple response of, " **Thor**. He could make storms with the hammer Mjolnir. When I was younger I would always call it Veethrbera, the Storm-bringer because it sounded scarier. He was so excited the first time he summoned lightning with it he actually hugged me in front of that bi-, rrgh, Sif. While I liked it, oh, how she absolutely **hated** seeing that...it was wonderful."

"You've never told me yet, what your adopted brother Thor looks like."

Loki's smile widened as thunder rumbled overhead, "It isn't for nothing that the Midgardians used to think Thor was a god - handsome as anything with that dark-blond, almost golden, hair. The most honest, beautiful, blue-eyes I've ever seen."

For some reason those words made him flinch internally. _'He's practically in love with Thor and I've only known Loki a week, if that, while Thor knew him his whole life. How can I compete with that ? Why do I want to compete with someone who obviously has me beaten at the start ? Thor is Prince of the World that is Asgard and I'm just Prince of Mirkwood. Asgard has a better looking kingdom than mine and a more appealing name to go with it. Now if it was still Greenwood the Great, maybe I would have a chance - damn you Necromancer ! From what Loki said while we were climbing the pass, I probably couldn't even beat Thor in a fair fight or it would end in a draw.'_

Outside the storm had finally started to taper off. As he watched Loki's eyes seemed to darken about half a shade when it ended. "How many days is it to Imladris still ? Do you think Legolas that whenever I finish protecting this Ring-bearer for the Norns...that if Lord Elrond can send me back that I should go ?"

_'Six more days that I'll have him almost to myself. Six more days through the foot-hills and then all of Imladris will know about Loki. I'm just glad that Lord Elrond will keep the others from staring at him too much. No, I already don't want him to go back to Asgard. I-I want- I wish he would come home with us, but, at least, if he would chose to stay in Imladris he wouldn't be ridiculed...and I. I mean we, we, could visit him.'_

Shook his head as he countered, hoping he sounded more light-hearted then he felt, "We are still about a week from the Last Homely House East of the Sea. No, if only for the fact that you're the only one of my friends whose name doesn't start with an 'A' - there's Acharn, Air, Aragorn and Loki, I don't want you to go. It's a relief for once not to be able to get you mixed up with someone else."

Simultaneous exclamations of, "My Prince, that's not fair ! He wasn't low key at all this morning waking you with his screaming."

**Flashback**

A scream of, " **Don't touch me !** ", jolted him out of his dream. He looked up to see Loki swift, graceful and agile as an owl in flight, running out of the camp.

Confused, he got up and walked over to Air, said elf looked equally confused. He asked worriedly, "Guard Air, what just happened ?"

"My Prince, Mithiam thought that Advisor Ivarion killed you whilst you slept. He went to avenge you and dropped him when the advisor's throat started turning blue. I think he just had a breakdown."

"Guard Acharn, go after Mithiam and make sure he comes back alive if you can !"

The dark-blond guard nodded, "Yes, my Prince, right away.", and started after the jotun.

_'I should have told him about our sleeping habits. It's my fault that he broke down, I should have gone after him myself. I need to apologize when he gets back.'_

"At ease, Guard Air."

Air's hazel-eyes went from serious to light-hearted and the black-haired guard teased, "Well, Legolas, we've got a few spare potatoes from Beorn. Loki mentioned that patato pancakes were one of his favourites. Maybe if you make him some he'll forgive you easier."

**End Flashback**

He was surprised when even Loki laughed at the joke. Even though it must have been the thousandth time Loki had heard that; as they watched a lone star shot across the sky and faded into the distance.


	10. Imladris

Loki wandered the still green forest around Imladris. Whilst the others had gone on to the city, he'd decided to wait a few hours until the later evening to enter. Lost in thoughts that he had been ignoring throughout the tiring six day ride that he barely remembered from building nerves. Despite the fact that just being here was calming, his thoughts were anything, but such.

_'Do I **need** Father's approval ? Am I that desperate for it when I want it only to say to Thor - I **put effort** in to get it, **unlike you**. But, Father's **not here** and would I really want to go home ? It's the only place I've ever known, yet look at how everyone treated me - Sif hated me because I 'stole' Thor's attention, Father ignored me after he gave Thor Mjolnir and everyone else said I was the, "Useless Prince.", because everyone liked Thor better - Mother's the only one I would go back for. Besides those reasons, I only asked Legolas that to see if he wanted me to stay and apparently he does. I-I don't know what I'm going to do after this !'_

A deep, calming voice suddenly intruded on his thoughts, "Something worries you ?"

"Ahh !" He whirled around to see a long black-haired elf looking at him, not staring like he'd feared, just looking.

The elf smoothed his light-purple, embroidered robes as he said, "My apologies, I didn't mean to startle you, but you seemed anxious. Are you lost, my friend ?"

He blinked at the elf, "It is not a problem and no, no I am not. It's just there are so many thoughts flying around in my head that none of my new friends will understand. My family, well, my adopted family, nearly everyone hates me or likes my big brother better. Mother is the only who likes me without my having to do something sheerly idiotic for it."

Deep-grey eyes lit in understanding and the elf sat down on a fallen log, gesturing him to sit. "I can understand that all too well, except for me it was my adopted fathers and my twin brother. Tell me of this if you will."

Slowly, he sat down and ran a hand through his hair, "Father likes Thor better because well he's his birth son and thusly can hardly do no wrong - despite the fact that he nearly started a war. Thor is so stupid he hardly thinks forward unless he absolutely must. So, he rushes into everything and I don't know anymore how many times I had to clean up his mistakes ! Did I ever get a thanks for defusing the situtation with Thorgil ? No and who despite saying I did it, never stopped the others from assuming that he in fact did it ? Thor, of course, and then when I correct someone. One of his stupid little friends has the gall to say that I'm stealing the honour that was **mine in the first place !** "

"Now, that I most definitely know. My twin, Elros, he was nearly exactly like your brother Thor. Never correcting anyone's assumtions about who did what. We were nearly interchangable in his mind, but I felt that way not."

The sound of sticks crunching under foot and then someone called, "Elrond ? Elrond, where are you ? The feast is about to start."

_'Oh, oh, Norns and I've just...'_

That was when he looked slightly closer to see Father's wisdom and Thor's youth in the elf's face. Quickly, he scrambled up to bow, "My Lord Elrond, I beg pardon of thee, I knew you not. I am Loki Niss."

_'Legolas suggested 'Niss' because it sounds more like what he knows of me, its meaning being 'Frost'. I admit it does sound far less arrogant than the one I picked.'_

The elven-lord scowled over his shoulder, "Now look at what you have done, Gandalf. Master Loki and I were having a perfectly nice conversation and then you come ruin it by calling me Lord."

"My apologies, Elrond, young Master Loki."

_'Gandalf, gand alf, I had no idea wand using elves existed in Middle-Earth. Didn't Legolas mention something about Gandalf being one of the wizards ?'_

He turned to look and was surprised when it was not an elf, but a very old and wise-looking, long grey- haired and bearded man in a grey robe and hat, who was carrying an oak staff. Still the words, "Do you know my father ?", slipped out before he could stop them.

Gandalf raised bushy eyebrows, "That depends, Loki, as I happen to know a great many people's fathers."

"Odin Bor's son."

"Know him no, I don't, but know **of** him ? Yes, I know a little bit."

That tatic, one that he had used countless times, being used on himself just made him burst out laughing. "Fair enough...fair enough, Master Gandalf, you may keep your secrets."

Gandalf chuckled, "I should hope so as I have a great many. Shall we go to the feast now ?"

So it was that in the ever darkening evening, he followed the Lord Elrond and wizard Gandalf into Imladris and, eventually, the great dining-hall. It was huge, airy ceilinged and light-wooded, the giant windows had no glass so the breeze flowed freely throughout. Said hall was filled with chattering elves, bickering dwarves and even smaller halfrold, half-men. or hobbits as Legolas had called them.


	11. Feast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're going a bit A/U here in that Thorin was never killed in the Battle of the Five Armies and thus is still King under the Mountain.

Legolas felt guilty as he looked down the food and drink laden table at Aragorn. Remembered just how much the brown-haired Ranger and Gandalf had trusted him the last time they'd met. Then he looked up toward the entrance as Acharn leaned over to whisper, "Loki's here." Simply put, he hadn't expected Loki to walk in at all, much less accompanied not only by Gandalf, but also Lord Elrond.

 _'They must have said something to help him calm down. I hope for what little bit we'll be here, the fact that we won't be moving every day will help him.'_ Loki had been flipping through a great deal of emotions the last few days - from nervous to angry **and** nervous to sad about the freak thunderstorms stopping on the third night out from the cave. Like if the storms had continued Thor would have flown in one night and taken Loki away. That all before his friend had switched to being excited about how much closer they'd gotten to Imladris only to flip to nerves just before they'd entered the forested valley that morning.

_'At least if that, that, Thor were here he would probably know if something was wrong with Loki. That's why I haven't mentioned why we were really going to Imladris when he fell from the sky - the fact that I, even more than Air or Acharn, lost the creature Gollum. With how odd he's been acting lately, he probably would have found some way to blame himself.'_

The creature called Gollum was even odder looking than Loki - he was hunched over and thin as a skeleton, paler than a fish's stomach with maybe three strands of hair. Gollum had as many teeth as he did hairs and was even easier to pity than the lost frost-giant warrior. Still Gollum was nearly as clever as the jotun with how he'd gotten away.

  **Flashback**

Once again, the creature was screaming that the rope was burning it. Gandalf had said that no matter how much Gollum screamed or how pitiful he looked that it was an act. Yet, as he looked at the extremely pale-skinned being tied up, writhing and flopping around on the forest floor, it was hard to think any creature could feign such agony.

Gail was patrolling the perimeter with his little, lighter-red haired brother Gel. Whilst Air and Acharn were like him gaurding the prisoner. Gel's shout of, "Orcs ! Le-", was abruptly cut-off.

_'Why did Gandalf not give us more time to get weapons ? I don't even have my bow with.'_

Barely unsheathed one of his long-knives, when suddenly a large unit of very short orcs were streaming into the clearing. He found himself surrounded quite quickly as he had to focus on blocking and parrying swords and maces, before he was able to fight back. Suddenly, he heard a shrill screeching from Gollum as he punched an orc with the long-knife's hilt, then pulling it into a slash across the orc's throat. Pushed that orc's body into two of the others and as they fell, he ducked beneath a swing. As he rose, he thrust the long-knife into the orc's chest before an arrow embedded itself into an orc on his right.

Acharn shouted, "Legolas ! The creature is getting away."

Pulled the long-knife out of the orc's chest to decapitate it. That was when he noticed that the orcs had started to fall back and a tall orc had picked up and was carrying Gollum away.

"Acharn, give me your bow."

Dropped the long-knife to catch both bow and arrow, then he nocked the arrow, turning to sight it after the orc. For a second, the orc stopped to look back, its grey-yellow eyes sickly-bright in the darkness, he loosed the arrow at those eyes and the orc ducked. The arrow flew less than an inch over Gollum's head as the creature cringed away.

Its yellow-tipped teeth flashed as it chuckled, "The next time you lose, Elfie...you're lunch.", before it disappeared.

**End Flashback**

_'That, that was **Valog** ! Valog was the one that gave me that glare. This is great, the orc Captain that Loki seemingly befriended wants to eat me. Well, at least, he thinks that Loki or rather Bani already ate me. He's probably disappointed he couldn't eat me himself.' _

He wasn't used to people staring at Loki. But, stare they did as the jotun walked along the light-wooded back wall towards the empty seat between himself and Acharn. Much to his, Acharn and Air's amusment and relief, Glam was stuck between Air and a young red-brown haired and bearded dwarf. Glam hated dwarves even more than he did Loki because of the dwarves sacking of Doriath.

As Loki sat down the dwarf asked, "Ai, lad, what sort of odd looking elf are you ? Ya look like you spent too long in an ice bath."

The deadpan response of, "I'm an ice elf." and the dwarf's confused look elicited laughter from himself and the others, but especially Glam. _'Even for a dwarf he should know there is no such thing as an ice elf.'_

A different dwarf chimed in, "Don't mind them, Gimli, they like their fun at our expense. Especially since they don't get out much themselves."

Gimli replied, "You're right about that, Thorin King, they look like dirty limestone." That got roars of laughter from the gathering of dwarves.

When the laughter faded, one of the three-foot tall hobbits; the oldest and white-haired one, who sat across the table from the dwarf-king, shook his head and admonished, "Now, now, Thorin, you're a king and you should be controling your dwarves, not joking about your host."

Thorin said softly, "My apologies dearest Biblo." then louder, "My apologies, Lord Elrond, you know how the young ones are - always getting into trouble."

He looked down the table at the elf-lord who's response was eloquent, "Then young Gimli is obviously related to you - considering that it was yourself and Gloin, among others who raided my kitchens of all food sixty years ago. Let us hope that you do not repeat that feat tonight."

"Well, we'll try not to."

At that everyone laughed instead of just one of the groups and then they started eating.

_'Elves, dwarves and men along with hobbits, one wizard and one, perhaps home-sick,  jotun. It's no wonder that according to Gandalf, Elrond is waiting to call a council to deal with all these issues at once - nearly all of Middle-Earth is here in one form or another.'_

Loki murmured, "At least there's more of a selection now.", after a bite of roasted chicken.

Nothing could have made him disagree, not even if his mother had told him to do it. After weeks of apples, fruit-bread, potatoes and deer, the roasted chicken could have been part of Loki's Valhalla to him, it was wonderful. The feast seemed to fly by after they started eating and talking.

There was a red-haired hobbit and a lighter-blond haired hobbit sat across from himself and Loki. The red-haired one who was staring at Loki, asked, "You look really blueish, are you feeling okay ?"

The light-blond hobbit, who'd been eating until that point, suddenly snapped, "Pippin !" and jabbed Pippin in the ribs. Before the blond hobbit looked apologetically at Loki, "I'm very sorry, Sir, Pippin shouldn't have said that. I'm Meriadoc Brandybuck, but you can call me Merry."

Pippin blurted, "I'm sorry ! Merry's really a lot better at this stuff than I am...oh, I'm Peregrin Took."

"Well, you're honest, I can't fault that; I am Loki Frost. Master Took, yes, I am perfectly healthy and it's nice to meet you, Master Brandybuck. And this is my friend, Prince Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood."

Merry and Pippin stared at him for a second, then Pippin stammered, "Uh, i-it's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness-ness."

"Please Pippin, we're far from Mirkwood, just call me Legolas."

Air and Acharn introduced themselves next and they started talking about nothing in particular. The next thing he noticed he was standing outside the dining-hall watching the dark-silver and black clad jotun walk away.

"Legolas ? What are you doing here ?"

_'This is why I was avoiding him all day.'_

Reluctantly, he turned from Loki to look at Aragorn, "The others and I came here because I failed, Aragorn. He got away from me, from all of us, but if my aim had been better he wouldn't have escaped."

The dark-green coated man put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sure you did everything that you could. Does Elrond know about this yet ?"

"No, I didn't see him except for a few minutes this morning when we entered Imladris and just barely."

"Was he with you ? You looked surprised to see him enter."

"Loki ? No, Loki wasn't with us and I didn't expect him to join us."

Aragorn mused, "Loki ? What an unusal name and he has the looks of an orc as well. Where did he come from Legolas ?"

_'Don't tell me he's going to join Glam on the, "He's a monster/spy for the Dark Lord.", hay-wagon. Didn't he listen to Gandalf about looking foul and feeling fair ? Hypocritical of him considering how he ends up looking at times.'_

After having endured Glam's verbal abuse of Loki for far too long, he jumped to his friend's defense, "Loki fell from the sky, Aragorn ! From a realm that is far from here. I think the Valar may have sent him, he's as powerful as Gandalf, if not more by all that he can do. I know he may look like an orc, but he is **not** a spy. He's had a poor life with all, but his mother practically ignoring him. With barely any true friends before myself and the others and yes, the one time he did look like an orc, but he saved our lives that time. Before that he saved us from the spiders when he hadn't even known us for a day, even Glam who hates him. Have you ever known a spy of Sauron who was capable of killing to let an opportunity to murder someone who couldn't defend themselves go ? Or to stop and break down after nearly killing someone ? If that is not enough Beorn trusts him as I, Air and Acharn do."

Aragorn shook his head, "No, I haven't ever known a spy to do that. I don't know him Legolas, but as you obviously trust him I will too, unless he proves otherwise."

He smiled at that, "Thank-you, Aragorn, it means a lot to me."

With that he turned and walked away, hoping to find Loki and the room the jotun had been given. _'M-maybe he could just stay in **my** room tonight instead ?'_


	12. Deserve

Loki sighed as he leaned his head against Legolas' neck while the green-clad  elf chuckled. Nimroch cantered through the oak forests of Asgard unconcerned with any seven foot-tall, giant antlered bilgesnipes that might have rushed them. Suddenly he was jerked off Nimroch by a dark-blue tunicked arm and then Thor landed; he was being pulled tightly against the breast-plated chest as Legolas turned Nimroch.

Thor growled, "Who are thee, Alf and what do you want with Loki ?"

_'It's lovely hearing him say my name again, but I don't like this.'_

Nimroch snorted and reared as Legolas hissed, "I am Legolas Thranduilion, Prince of Mirkwood ! And I am helping him from you."

"Why needs he to be away from me when you **kidnapped** him ?"

"You care for him not and I won't stand for it ! I can appreciate and love him as he deserves...unlike you, Odinson."

After all the years, he needn't think of Thor's response. Just turned and pressed his hands against Thor's chest, "Don't do this, Thor, Thor, **please** ! I love him as well you."

"Then, Loki, choose."

Thor pushed him off to the side, unhooking Mjolnir as he did before running towards Legolas and Nimroch. Leaves flew as elf-prince and horse accepted the challenge.

" **No !** "

_'No, no, no ! Wake up, wake up, it's not real, wake up.'_

His eyes jerked open as he gasped, before he stared in relief at Legolas who lay beside him. As he hadn't known where to go after eavesdropping on most of Legolas and Aragorn's conversation; of course, having illusioned them into thinking he wasn't there, he had let Legolas 'find' him. The elf had obliged him by letting him share the room. Legolas breathe was steady and the staring eyes didn't bother him anymore, thank the Norns. He got up out of the bed, taking a brief appreciation of the tunic-less elf.

_'Certainly Legolas' muscles are leaner than Thor's, but they are still very nice indeed. Someday, someday, someone might like me as much as I do both Thor and Legolas. Why does this have to be hard ? Least wise were Thor here I could but ask him what truly he thinks of me. Almost I wish he hadn't let me let go of him, yet if he had not I would not have met Legolas and the others. Far better friends have I found in these elves than any Asgardian. Mother might have as well been been my friend, but she was still Mother first.'_

Shook himself from his thoughts and walked over to his pack. It rested on the dresser by the close wall to pull on one of the darker-blue tunics that Beorn had given him. His gaze drifted to the floor...and the trail of ice from the bed to said dresser.

_'Damn this inconsistent ice of mine. One day it does as I wish, the next hardly and after that it does too much or when I wish it not; like when I almost killed Glam. Also Legolas said that my body seems to be slightly cooler than when I first met him. Is it once again because of the ice magic ? Agh, why did I not take more of the blom stiarna when had I the chance ? Perhaps Lord Elrond has some he would be willing to give me, either way, I need to talk to him of the Norns and this mysterious Ring-bearer.'_

When he got into the white hallway, people were moving everywhere - mainly elves, of course, but also Merry and Pippin who waved at him and Gimli the dwarf who ignored him. The breeze brought the scents of water and forest to him and once again, he was reminded of home. Walked along until he was out on a smooth, beige stone path lined by grass and then into what looked like a garden.

He stopped as he saw Aragorn in his green long-coat and Elrond in dark-blue robes stood beside a grey-marble statue that looked very much like the elf lord. Aragorn bowed and moved from Elrond only stopping when he was noticed.

"You are Legolas' new friend Loki are you not ?"

"Yes, yes I am. You are the Ranger Aragorn, no ?"

Wondered if he imagined the jealousy in Aragorn's dark-grey eyes at his words; yet, he knew the wariness that lurked behind that was not. The dark-brown haired and bearded man nodded, "I am, Legolas mentioned you after the feast."

"So, I heard, he mentioned that he saved you from the Mirkwood spiders when first he met you."

A definite glare as the Ranger remembered Legolas mention of his saving the party.

_'Jealousy, but of what ? The fact that I saved Legolas ? The fact that I was around him for weeks ? Dare I to suggest he's jealous because he thinks Legolas has feelings for me ?'_

Elrond interrupted before the introduction could get any more awkward, "Did you find your room last night, Loki ?"

The Ranger's sword accidentally slamming into his hip as Aragorn walked away and he answered, "No, Lord Elrond, you could say that I got myself lost. Legolas found me and let me stay in his room for the night."

Followed Elrond into the garden and over to the statue, before the elf gestured to it, "This Loki as I'm sure you've guessed is a statue of my twin Elros."

"Pardon if I overstep, but why does thy brother have one ?"

"Unlike myself, Elros chose to be a mortal and while he lived five hundred years, he still died. I hated him for choosing that, for making it so that no one else could making living comparisons again. Though I hated it when I was young, I longed for it after his death."

_'F-five hundred years if that had been extended to thousands it would be just, just like an Asgardian.'_

That made him ask, "My Lord, surely your brother belonged to a people. Which one ?"

"My brother was the first Numenorian King. What does this mean to you ?"

Pin needles swayed above them as a stronger wind blew and he answered, as he started to pace around the clearing, "The Realm where I grew up Asgard, the average lifespan is four to five thousand years. What if, what if somehow the Asgardians and Numenorians were related ? Legolas and I, we've come up with a theory first seperately, but then together. There are many strange similiarities between Asgard and Arda, little changes to words that I still understand and things with different names that I recognize, along with very different things that I don't. It's all so strange as Gandalf also says he knows of my father Odin. We think the Norns and the Valar may have worked together to help form the Worlds."

He stopped moving and turned to look at Elrond. The black-haired elf's look turned contemplative as he said, "I suppose that could have happened, there are parts of Eru's music that was never mentioned as it didn't pertain to Middle-Earth. Perhaps your Norns were some of Eru's unnamed Valar who were sent to other Realms. That would make sense of all the odd things that Elros and I saw in our youth. This is not the first time I have seen one of your kind. There is a copy of it in Westron in Imladris library if you wish to see it. Maybe you will recognize some of those creatures and beings that I saw."

_'Library ? And he's letting **me** see it ! Why couldn't the Asgardians be more like Elrond and like libraries and learning instead of almost despising it ? Even if I could leave Arda behind me I would be giving up more things than I would gain - Legolas, Air and Acharn, Varr, Nimroch and Rosroch along with Timbelin and Mithroch.'_

"That would be lovely, my Lord. First though, I need to ask of you something."

"Go right ahead, Loki, I made this place for all beings to get help and learn if they wanted it."

Now that he had the opportunity he hesitated, "I-I was sent here after the Norns asked me what I would do to regain my honour and I answered that I would do anything. Skuld asked me if I would be willing to die for people I knew not. If I would die to protect some mysterious Ring-bearer, I said that I would and here I am."

Elrond folded his arms behind his back, "Do you know what that Ring is ?"

"No, what is it ? Just thinking of it sometimes, wondering what it is it, the most horrible feeling crawls over my skin."

"That is no wonder, it was made long ago in the Second Age. Crafted with all the malice and evil of a terrible being - the Dark Lord Sauron to conquer nearly any being it came in contact with. It is here and it needs to be destroyed. The person who does this will be the Ring-bearer whom you are going to protect, yes ?"

"Yes, I am going to, I swore to do it and if I cannot then I will die trying." 

The elf unfolded his arms and shifted to look at the statue of Elros for a second, before looking back at him, "I liked the thought of nine people, Nine Walkers. Yet, if your Norns are in fact Valar, then you are Eru sent and I cannot refuse your help, then there shall be Ten Walkers."

He dropped to kneel on the grass at the elf-lord's feet, " **No !** No, my Lord Elrond that I cannot allow. I refuse to let good names be sullied by my own ! Loki-traitor-murderer- **Laufeyson**. I started this not because I wanted to help this World, but for myself and for that I **don't deserve** to be mentioned among those with honour."

Elrond crouched and reached out to lift his chin, a second later the words, "Very well then, Loki Niss as you wish, there are Nine Walkers. I ask not what you did to be dishonoured, but pray to Eru Allfather that you may regain it through your deeds."

"Thank-you, truly you are as great a Lord as Legolas said."

Elrond released him and shook his head, "I am not, it is just that you have not seen all the mistakes that I made in the past. Shall we go to the library now ? It is a long way to Mordor and I am sure you would like to know the way."

Slowly, he got up and they started towards the library.


	13. Friend

Legolas tilted his head as he looked at his mother. They sat in front of a great hall whose roof was made of thatched gold. The slightly darker-blond elf reached out to take his hand and say, "Legolas, your friend Loki...he needs help."

Nodded at the words and agreed, "I know Mother, he needs to find a way home."

Her green-eyes dimmed slightly, "That is not the help he needs. I watched him much from Valhalla after his jotun Grandfather told me how the Asgardians treated him. He doesn't even realize how most of them thought the worst of him because he was so used to it. Queen Frigga is the only one who never criticized him just for the sake of being cruel, even his brother Thor did it, if only behind his back. My son, you and the others truly are the best friends he has ever had to defend him from Glam when none of his 'friends' would have."

It baffled him that anyone could have been needlessly cruel to Loki. Especially, considering how he had talked of Thor, Sif, Hogun and Fandral during their last day's ride to Imladris - stories of near endless feats and near misses. Though it had turned odd in that when Acharn had asked what feats Loki had done, the jotun had tried to push himself off as unimportant.

Looked above himself through the tree's golden leaves to the bright-blue sky, "Mother, I don't get it how could they not defend him ? He's so smart and creative ! I mean look at how fast he thought up using the river to freeze the spiders a-and saving us from Valog by making himself look like an orc to befriend him or, or shapeshifting himself into a horse to catch Varr. Not to mention that he's great with weapons and just beautiful. If they had stood up for him he could have been their best ally. They do all that to him and yet for some reason it almost seems like he still wants to go back. Why ? Is it because of his mother or that cursed Thor, again ?"

Mother just shook her head, "I can't tell you, just keep doing as you are and perhaps he will realize finally that he has a real friend. I love you, my little 'Las." The last said as she hugged him and he returned it.

Couldn't help smiling as he blinked away tears and whispered, "I love you too, Mother. Thank-you for helping me."

He blinked out of his sleep, disappointed that Loki was gone. Still, he was happy that since Mother was in Loki's Valhalla that meant that Asgard and Arda were indeed connected. _'I need to find and tell him about dreaming of Mother. When she vanished she must have appeared in Alfheim and gone to Valhalla when she was killed or some such. He'll probably be ecstatic about it.'_

Rolled out of the bed and avoided the small trail of water on the floor from Loki's ice. Mostly because he didn't have a cloth to clean it up with, to pull on another green tunic from the dresser and brush his hair, then went outside. While he wandered around Imladris, he remembered that Loki had made mention of wanting to read something new when they reached here. So, it was likely that the jotun would be in the library, but he didn't know where the library was.

_'It looks like I'll have to find Aragorn. If he's met Loki then I'll probably have to endure another, "Legolas, why don't you love me ?" How many times have I told him that I am five hundred and some years old and he is only nearly ninety ? How many times have I told him that he is a child compared to me, not only that, but because I watched him grow from teen to man I could never love him how he wishes. That I am his **friend** and **nothing more** forever. I feel like a horrible child stealer just trying to think about a scenario where I would ever be in love with Aragorn. At least, were Loki to somehow be interested in me I wouldn't feel that way as he is about five hundred years older than I am.'_

As if his thoughts had summoned the Ranger, Aragorn approached him looking in rather a foul mood. Though Aragorn was, at heart and over all, a very good man; the man was sometimes childish regarding himself, "Legolas, why was Loki wanting to talk with Father ?"

Aragorn had been adopted at a young age by Lord Elrond after his father Arathorn, Chief of the Dunedain - the last northern descendants of Numenor, was killed.

It made him shake his head, "That is between Loki and Lord Elrond, unless they tell you otherwise."

"You know what it is do you not ? He said you were friends or is that all ?"

_'Of course, he had to become a jealous little spider's hatchling about it.'_

Repeated Aragorn's gesture from last night of putting his hand on the man's shoulder, "Yes, I know what it is, but he is as you are Aragorn- my friend and only my friend. Where is the library ? I need to look something up."

_'No matter that I wish Loki was more than my friend.'_

The already sour expression turned into something that could have freightened Valog easily, but Aragorn showed him the way. Inside Imladris white-walled library were two storeys of light-wooded shelves filled with books, scrolls and maps from across all three Ages of Arda.

Loki's voice echoed down from the second floor, "So, this Kingdom of Gondor was made and ruled by the exiles of Numenor before Numenor itself was sunk by the Valar ? And that these Dunedain are the descendants of Gondor ?"

Elrond's answer of, "Yes, it was and they are, though most of the race of Men think that the blood of Numenor is dead. Gondor is no longer ruled by Kings, but by the Stewards of Gondor for no new King has appeared since the late Second and early Third Age." 

A growl from Aragorn, "Why should he know of the kingdom I am supposed to rule one day ? He should want me to fail as Isildur did no doubt."

_'How does he ever hope to take over rule if he refuses to get over this behaviour ? I feel embarrassed for Lord Elrond, he raised Aragorn to be better than this.'_

Decided to ignore his friend and walk to the spiralling staircase to the upper-floor. When Loki spotted him there was a happy, "Legolas !", it was only then that he noticed how much different Loki's eyes were from the first time in the forest. Before Loki's eyes had been warm in color, but rather cold in emotion and now around himself and the others, at least, they were warm in both.

"Good morning, Loki, Lord Elrond."

The elven-lord nodded to him and left, he walked up to Loki who was once again looking at a map of Middle-Earth. Loki murmured very softly, as he traced a path...to the volcanic land of Mordor, the home of Sauron, "One meeting, followed by so many leagues and so many potential enemies that even I will be wary."

_'Are the Norns insane  ? They want him to help protect the one that has to take a great evil across almost the whole face of Middle-Earth ? They will need all the help they can get. Did Gandalf not say that Gollum had come from Mordor when he was caught ? Was the wretched creature involved with the Dark Lord's Ring somehow ? Is that partially what this great council of Lord Elrond's will be about ?'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the chapter was confusing please let me know so I can try to clear it up.


	14. Council

Loki looked about at Legolas, Acharn and Air beside him with the dwarf Gimli on his other side and around the beige stone circle. Last among the dwarves was the dwarf-king Thorin beside him sat Biblo and then was Aragorn. Sat beside Aragorn was the strange light-brown haired and blue-eyed man called Boromir. Then his gaze drifted across the circle to Elrond before wandering to the other side, to Gandalf and the little black-haired hobbit.

_'What would Thor think about this ? A meeting of Alfar, Men, Dwarves and Hobbits ? Wait, I know what - he would probably think it stupid and try to destroy the Ring with Mjolnir. How I would laugh if he tried and failed. Mjolnir is made with good intentioned magic of great power in a different World. Whereas the Ring was made here with near impossible levels of dark magic and evil. Either it would work and the One Ring would be destroyed or both would cancel each other out.'_

Noticed that Aragorn once again glared at him as Legolas's thigh accidentally brushed against his when the elf-prince shifted slightly. Something rustled softly in the bushes behind him. A second later, he cast an illusion of himself still sitting silently in his chair into the others minds, then got up and walked past Aragorn. He accidentally stepped on Aragorn's foot in repayment for earlier. Before he walked around the expensive clothed Boromir and the white lattice that half-surrounded the circle. A darker-blond hobbit crouched in the bushes, walking behind that hobbit to the other side he saw Merry and Pippin were crouched behind Gandalf. After he laughed at the fact that Elrond's incredibly secret meeting had met with spys, he sat back down in his chair, erasing the illusion from the others minds.

Elrond, now in a set of somber brown robes, gestured around the circle, before saying, "Welcome my friends from near and far. You have all come to me with either urgent and troubling matters or questions and as they are similar in most regards, I have asked you here so that we might try to make sense of it. Thorin perhaps you would explain the matter at Erebor."

As King Thorin explained how a messenger from Mordor had for days banged on the doors and demanded servitude in exchange for Erebor's survival, Boromir was staring unceasingly at him.

_'Bilgesnipe waste, **really** ? Even Thor would have remembered to blink by now. I think I just found a bigger idiot - a true miracle thankee Skuld.'_

Gandalf spoke next, "Aragorn and I had long been trying to find the creature Gollum. He had either escaped or been freed from Mordor's hold after torture. When Aragorn caught him I asked him what they had wanted from him. Gollum replied that they wanted to know where his, "Precious.", was. And that it had been stolen by a hobbit named Baggins from the Shire. It was after I entrusted Gollum to Prince Legolas that all nine of the Dark Lord's most terrible servants were sent out to find the 'precious'. Thus resulting in young Frodo Baggins here fleeing from the Shire to Rivendell under much duress and near dead in the end."

_'This black-haired hobbit is Frodo ? Who was Ring-bearer up to this point ? Then whatever should happen now ?'_

Legolas shook his head in dispair as he shared looks with Air, Acharn and Gail, "He escaped from us, Gandalf ! That is why we came here to tell you that orcs had helped him to get away. If he wasn't muttering about rope-burns, he was screaming of getting something back and revenge on a Baggins."

_'This is what they would not mention ? That a mere creature had escaped from them ? I know not why they feared. Unless they secretly agreeed with Glam, which I know they don't.'_

The brown-haired Gimli asked, as he fiddled with a throwing axe, "What would a Dark Lord want with such a wretched creature's treasure ? What makes it so 'precious' ?"

Elrond answered, "Sauron wants it because it did not start its life as Gollum's possesion, but as his own. For Gollum's 'precious' is the One Ring that was thought long lost by Men. When Isildur, Prince of Gondor was given the choice to destroy it in Mordor or keep it after his father, Elendil, was killed by Sauron. Despite my advice otherwise, Isildur decided not to destroy it. His reason to me being that as he had cut it from the Dark Lord's hand with his father's shattered blade that it would be weregild to his family. What he didn't know was that it influenced him into keeping it, so that it could betray him to the orcs as it hoped one of them would pick it up. While the Ring did succeed in killing Isildur, it failed in its main objective of returning to Mordor. As we are now sure that it fell into the river were it was picked up by Gollum hundreds of years later. Master Baggins if you would show the others."

Slowly, Frodo got up from his seat beside Gandalf and walked to the beige pedestal in the center of the circle. Before Frodo was pulling a golden ring on a silver-chain from around his neck.

When the ring gleamed softly in the sunlight, a dark and persuasive voice filled his mind, _"Come to me, Loki, kill them all and take me. Together we'll take over this World and when you rule it single-handedly, you will have regained your honour. Then both Odin and Thor will know that they were right to be afraid of you. Kill Thor, much less Odin, and all of Asgard would beg for you to rule them. You were **born to be King** , let me help you."_

He twitched away from the voice, focusing on the bird song that filled the clearing. His gaze darted, wondering if he was the only one who heard it. Legolas looked faintly concerned when their eyes met.

Gimli growled, "It's evil and let it be destroyed then.", before getting up and unhooking the throwing axe. The dwarf rushed at the pedestal to slam the axe into the Ring. What happened next was impossible it made him burst into incredulous and, to be honest, fearful laughter. Why ? The second the axe connected it split in half from the force. With a tangible flash of evil magic, the Ring threw Gimli disdainfully to the ground.

The dwarf blinked up at the clear sky dazedly as Legolas asked disdainful as the Ring, "Did you not hear what Lord Elrond implied, son of Gloin ? The Ring is part of the Dark One and capable of its own thought. It cannot be destroyed by a mere axe. Right, my Lord ?"

Thorin helped Gimli up as Elrond said, "Yes, it must be destroyed where it was made in Mordor and one of you must do it."

Boromir who had sat in silence the whole time exclaimed, "Why must we destroy Isildur's Bane ? Let Gondor use it against the Dark Lord. Many years we've suffered great loss to protect all of you with no outside help and my father's forces dwindle further by the day. I came here because I had a strange dream that said the Bane had been found. It may help us to truly win the fight for Middle-Earth."

_'Ai, he truly is **worse** than Thor. At least, Thor would grasp the situation.'_

He got up and walked to stand over Boromir, "Well, then son of the Steward of Gondor, let me rephrase what everyone has said - it is part of the worst Dark Lord your World has seen in an Age. As the Ring is capable of its own sentience and **still** you want to try to **turn it against its master ?** You are a fool, Boromir Denethorson, and a great one at that ! As Lord Elrond said, it must be destroyed or Arda will never know peace."

Boromir stood up, "Then I will take the Ring to Mordor."

"Yes, because it is a perfectly sound idea. You will not, conveniently, claim that the task was too much in Gondor ?"

The brown-haired man snarled and shoved at him, not that it did any good, but still. "You know not of what you speak. I am able to do it."

Legolas, Acharn and Air were at his side, leaving Glam and Gail alone in their seats.

Legolas responded, "Obviously, he was listening to the others far more than you were. You cannot take it as you are unreliabe to complete the task. I will take it as I can make sure it is destroyed."

At those words, he turned a horrified look to his best friend. Distantly he noticed the same displeased expression on Aragorn's face. _'No, no ! Not Legolas, it's too dangerous. He has a father, Grandmother...an-and a kingdom, he can't ! He has too much to live for !'_

Surprisingly, this was the only thing both he and Glam suddenly agreed on, "You cannot, my Prince, it is too dangerous !"

Gimli jumped in, "I won't allow a prissy fingered elf to take charge of it !"

Nearly everyone started arguing then as he stared half-numb at Legolas, until a new voice rang out over everyone else's.

"I will take it ! I will take the Ring to Mordor as I have taken it here ! Though I know not the way, I will do it."

They all turned to see young Frodo standing beside Elrond. Elrond looked down at Frodo and wondered, "Frodo Baggins, are you truly willing to do this ? There will be no spell or compulsion put on you to complete the task. And as long as someone else is willing to take it, if you decide that you can bear it no longer, you may leave and do what you wish."

The blue-eyed hobbit, his pale face serious, nodded, "I am willing to do it, Lord Elrond. It is not fair to subject others to what I have already endured bearing the Ring."

"So be it, Frodo, son of Drogo, will be the Ring-bearer. Who will accompany him ?"

Of course, Legolas had to say, "I will, he has my bow."

There were other such statements from Aragorn, Gimli and Boromir along with Gandalf. That was when Merry, Pippin and the last hobbit rushed into the circle, "You're not sending Frodo away without his friends are you ?"

Elrond's look was rather priceless, a mixture of surprised annoyance and sudden cunning that looked out of place on the elf's face. "No, we were not and so is formed the Nine Walkers or the Fellowship of the Ring if one prefers. With Loki as Protector of the Ring-bearer."

_'I hate it when I get outsmarted like this. I tell him not to mention me among honourable names and so he mentions me alone. Sneaky, Lord Elrond, very sneaky, I applaud thee.'_

Pippin asked, "So, where're we going ?"

_'All this time and he wasn't listening either ?'_

Everyone else in the new Fellowship and himself chorused, "Mordor."

"Oh, that sounds...nice."

_'Norns help me, help us all, resist the Ring !'_


	15. Leave

Legolas hugged Air as the black-haired elf murmured, "You two take care of yourselves. If I hear even one of you is dead, I am going to Valinor and I will complain to Mandos until he gives you up."

That made him wince, "Though it won't be needed, poor Mandos."

"Hey ! I am not that bad."

Acharn and Loki slammed into them for a group hug, "You are too !", was the simultaneous reply.

Loki managed to say, "I'll miss you, Air."

_'I don't think I've seen him cry before. I don't think he's ever even mentioned it happening in Asgard. The first time for a good time from what Mother said this morning.'_

Air ignoring Loki's tears, replied, "I'm going to miss you too, Loki. Just if Aragorn gives you trouble my advice - ice his ass. Just maybe it'll free that jealousy stick he's got shoved up there, too."

Despite the fact that Aragorn was his friend, he still burst out laughing like everyone else. _'Oh how I hope I can see that. Especially, if it means Aragorn has to learn something new for the first time in sixty years.'_

Then himself and Loki moved on to Nimroch and Varr, the only animal that could come with was the pack-pony Bill. After all too many animals would make them easier for spies to see, mainly animal spies of the Mountains.

He reached up to rub Nimroch's forelock, before throwing his arms around the white mare's neck as she whickered softly. She nibbled at the edges of his hair as he whispered, "The only thing I have left of Mother is you...and now I have to leave even you behind."

**Flashback**

He walked up to Nimroch not even able to reach her knee, until Father picked him up. Nimroch whuffled in his face as he giggled to pat her giant nose.

"Father, when is Mother coming home ? She didn't tell me my story last night."

"She's going to be gone for a very long time, 'Las. You can take care of Nimroch for her, yes ?"

Squirmed around to beam at Father, "Yes, are you going to help too ?"

Blue-eyes blinked down at him, "Of course I am. If your grandfather Oropher were here he would too. You remind me of him, you have his eyes and your mother's smile."

**End Flashback**

The sound of a thud made both Nimroch and himself startle to look at Loki and Varr. Then as Air and Acharn stared at him, he burst into another laughing fit - Varr was trying to squish Loki against a tree, again. Both roan and jotun had gotten to be even faster friends than Loki and himself in the past weeks.

Loki pushed Varr off himself as Acharn stated, "We'll take good care of them, don't worry about it !"

"We won't."

He looked about them at the others - Gandalf was talking to Frodo, Aragorn was checking his new sword Anduril - which had been Elendil's sword called Narsil and glaring at Loki, whilst Boromir was looking at his ivory-carved horn; meanwhile Pippin and Merry were checking on food. The dark-blond hobbit Sam or Samwise Gamgee, was keeping an eye on the two to make sure no food disappeared.

Loki turned to look at the others, "Here we start the journey for Arda to the end, whether be it Valhalla or Helheim !"

Aragorn, Boromir and himself echoed, " **For Arda** !"

Their response caused Gandalf to chuckle, "How I have missed that rallying spirit in this Age. Are we ready to depart ?"

They formed into a single line with Frodo at the front, followed by Gandalf, Sam and Merry. Behind them was Pippin, then Boromir and Aragorn with Loki and himself at the very end.

Elrond called, "May the blessings of all good beings and Worlds go with you.", as they filed out.

Watched the black-hair in front of him sway as the spear rested on Loki's black-tunicked back. Slowly they wound through Imladris and onto the road. It had been decided that after today they would travel most often at night, until they were far from Imladris and nearer the Misty Mountains.

The only one Loki would speak to as they walked was him. He saw how hard it was for the jotun having gotten used to always having Acharn and Air around, only to be suddenly surrounded by strangers. Himself ? He would even have endured Glam's taunting of Loki compared to Aragorn's falling back to keep a watch on himself and Loki. It was so that they couldn't look, much less breathe, in each others direction without a dark glare from the heir of Isildur.

After the first hour, the day turned dark with, yet another, freak thunderstorm. _'If ever you are going to make to an appearance, Odinson, stop being a coward and do it already.'_

Unlike any other time, Loki was no longer excited about the storm and seemed to be annoyed at it. After a miserable, cold lunch the only good thing of which was Loki leaning against him - the storm faded late that afternoon with no appearance from Thor. _'So, the son of Odin is indeed a coward. Well, should ever we meet I will have both weapons and words for thee - pray the Norns that they will have mercy in your future, O Prince of Asgard, for I have none.'_

That night they rested in a bleak, grey and rocky hollow as a cold wind blew. The grass had fled with the road leagues behind them. Aragorn would take the first watch, his was second, but he didn't care as he pushed his bedroll nearer to Loki's. As he fell into nightmares of Loki facing and losing to a murderous Thor, he heard Gandalf estimate that it would take them a fortnight to reach the first landmark of their journey - Eregion.


	16. Boromir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Draugr - 'Ghost, undead men'

Loki woke from his brief nap to the sound of sparring, besides that it was only for the sounds of the camp around him - Sam making breakfast and talking to Frodo. Along with Merry and Pippin exclaiming over some particularly odd cloud-shape, that he didn't give in to the sudden urge to reach over and stroke Legolas' cheekbone.

_'Today is the day that we reach the mountains. Have Air and Acharn gotten back to Mirkwood yet ? Are they all right, are Varr and Nimroch ?'_

Aragorn let out a yelp of pain too busy glaring at him to pay attention to his sparring-partner. Imagined Gandalf shaking his head as the old wizard said, "Aragorn, if you are going to spar, concentrate."

He crawled out of his bedroll and got up, looking at the mountains that had slowly gotten closer over the past thirteen days. Mostly consisting of Aragorn being a brat and getting iced on the second day out.

**Flashback**

Aragorn had followed him to the stony bank of a near-by stream. Moonlight silvered the sheet of thick ice that had resulted from his toe touching the water. He, again, cursed his still uncontrollable ice magic. _'Why ? Why won't it let me control it now ? Damn my emotions, first there was Thor, then there was Legolas and now it's both of them. Why do I still want Thor when he never would have told me to ignore Aragorn, much less defend me ?'_

"If you even think of touching me Arathornson, I will slice your tiny balls off with an ice-knife."

A lie, of course, because he didn't know if the ice would do what he wanted. Still, Aragorn didn't need to know that and the little gasp of shock was just perfect.

While the man didn't touch him, the man still hissed, "Stay away from Legolas."

"Why should I stay away from the only friend I truly know in this group ?"

"He paid attention to me when you weren't here. You don't deserve to be here !"

That made him spin around and grab the man's throat. All the while he was willing just a little bit of water in Aragorn's skin to freeze, "I am trying to regain my honour and learn of the only World that has never abandoned me for some petty reason or another. Also, I am trying to protect your friends as well, so it matters not what you think of me... **child**."

Before he threw the tan-skinned man from himself, Aragorn glared and sulked off to try persuading Legolas to ignore him.

**End Flashback**

Also in the past six days he had come to know more of Merry, Pippin, Sam and Frodo. While he and Boromir had mostly ignored each other, only doing what was necessary. Walked up to say good morning to Frodo and Sam. Aragorn still lay on the ground at the camp's far side with Gandalf stood over him and Gimli watching the sparring.

Boromir wandered to sit beside himself, Frodo and Sam. The light-brown haired and bearded man asked awkwardly, focusing on him, "So, how are you doing this morning, Loki ?"

"Quite well actually, I had a most lovely dream of kicking Aragorn's ass last night."

The tanned man chuckled, "I know well that feeling myself. Hmpf, if he's not getting mad at you, then he is getting mad at my father for not taking care of Gondor to his liking. For a man who has faced the Ring Wraithes he is surprisingly childish. Very much considering that Legolas has rejected him five times in the past thirteen days and always glares at you."

It surprised him when Frodo and Sam both nodded in agreement. Aragorn had saved Frodo and Sam's lives from those Draugr-like things on the way to Imladris. Only the Ring Wraithes wore long black-robes and had red-eyes. Apparently, the Ring Wraiths were formerly nine human Kings. They had been pulled under Sauron's spell by the rings they had been given. So, that when they died they were bound to Sauron until they were destroyed.

_'I'm almost surprised that when I spied on Legolas and Aragorn that he didn't call me a Ring Wraith instead of an orc. Are my eyes the reason that Valog decided that he 'liked' me so quickly ?  Did he think I was a special creation of Sauron's and thus able to get him in trouble ?'_

Both hobbits left them to watch the oatmeal, joining Merry and Pippin to look at the clouds and leaving them alone.

That made him reply, "Getting mad all the time, just like my adopted brother Thor did. Always he did when something didn't go his way and I refused to fix it. So, that he would learn...he hardly did. Then when I was fourteen, our father started to ignore me in favour of Thor. Simply because he was days older and more a warrior than I."

Covered the camp in an illusion of emptiness as a lone hawk that came flying overhead made them stop. They all tensed despite his illusion, before it flew out of sight and he released the hawk's mind.

Boromir ran a hand through his hair, his blue-eyes wide and more understanding than Thor's ever had been. Before the man shook his head, "My apologies for your father, Loki. In fact, I have the exact opposite problem. My father favours me over Faramir because of those same reasons. No matter how many times I tell him that Faramir has saved as many, if not more, lives than I, Father refuses to listen and claims that I did it instead."

_'Someone besides Elrond does understand ! I never thought it was possible for a human to understand that much about me. Poor Faramir to be in an even worse boat than I was before mine was capsized by finding out my true heritage. At least, Boromir stood up for Faramir and yet Denethor still dismisses him. It's sickening.'_

"Thank-you, Boromir. Perhaps, when we get to Gondor, together all three of us - yourself, Faramir and myself, perhaps we can make your father listen for once."

Hesitant, he reached out an arm, Boromir smiled and gripped his forearm saying,"You're welcome and I would like us to do that much. Father may be able to ignore Faramir and myself, but he cannot, reasonably, ignore a good wizard of **any** Race. Exactly how old are you, Loki ?"

That made him laugh as he released the man and imagined what the Steward's heir's reaction might be, "How old am I ? Legolas is five hundred and some odd years. I am, at rough estimate, well over one thousand years."

Compassion faded into shock, "O-one **thousand** ? That's longer than King Elros was alive and he was Peredhel ! Truly, you must be unique to live so long."

He shook his head and then Legolas startled him by pulling the oatmeal off the fire. The elf joked, "You two must love burnt food with how much attention you paid it."

Himself and Boromir shared an embarrassed look, then they took the job off Sam's protesting hands of serving everyone. Yes, even Aragorn. _'We start the climb of Caradhras the Cruel for the Dimrill Dale, the others will want to grab as much wood as they can for fires. Though now, I doubt that Gandalf will let them use it lest it be life or death.'_


	17. Caradhras

Legolas was the only one who wasn't ankle-deep in snow, his being lighter than he looked. However Loki was the only one whose breathe didn't fog and wasn't cold in some degree. Snow swirled around and/or on them unless it settled on the sharply jutting shelf above them. In front of himself and Loki was Boromir who was blocking Aragorn's path to them. The hobbits were at the middle of the line as Boromir started shoving Aragorn to the front with Gandalf.

Loki stopped, sinking further into the snow, as a gust whistled through the pass blowing the slightly tangled black-hair around his face. It gave those red-eyes even more a sense of ancient majesty.

The jotun bit his lip and his heart-beat raced at the hesitant, "L-Legolas..."

_'It's already too late not to get my hopes up, it'll be something else for sure. Still it doesn't really matter now, he almost sounds scared. What could scare him ?'_

Stepped forward wanting to do something, but not able to decide on a gesture that would fit, "Yes ?"

"I-I know not what to do ! It, it, taunts me when I try to sleep and then somehow, **somehow** , it invades my dreams. Even more than..." Loki trailed off and he didn't have to guess that the next word would have turned out to be Thor. Loki continued, "The damned thing refuses to stop ! I can't handle it, the Ring is driving me crazy. I wish I'd never come here and I don't want to wish that, but I-I can't do it. I can't do this, Legolas !" His friend had slowly been sinking towards the ground and now he knelt in the snow; the white-blue skinned hands, covered in still frozen flakes, moved to clutch Loki's hair.  

_'I-is that why he looked so startled at the council ? The Ring was speaking to him. It's no wonder that it wants him. Doesn't he know how strong he is to resist it for this long ?'_

He knelt as well, taking one of Loki's hands. The jotun's tempurature was far colder than it had been all those days when they'd been riding Nimroch together. Back then it had been an almost normal tempurature, it was as cold as the snow itself now. And it seemed like Loki's warmth changed on how emotionally stable he was and at the moment his friend was a wreck.

Softly, he ran his free hand through the tangled hair, "I'll help you, Loki, I'll **always** help you. We'll, we'll do it...together."

Before he'd consciously thought about it he'd pressed his lips against Loki's. It was only when there was a deep rumbling from above that they seperated from the kiss. Then the jotun was pushing him into the snow as the air above Loki turned to thick ice. The avalanche thundered over them into the abyss beside them, the force enough that he heard the cracking even through the snow.

_'The others ! Pippin, Merry they could've been swept off. Nienna, even Aragorn and Boromir with its force.'_

Loki shoved himself backwards into the ice making the crack expand before falling back on him. Put his hands on Loki's chest before pushing up with all the strength he had. Finally the ice broke and snow rushed in. They dug themselves out before running around the bend in the path, the others were hunched in the shadow of the overhang still half-buried snow.

The hobbits looked on verge of freezing to death. As they helped unbury the poor hobbits, Loki demanded, "What was that, Gandalf ?!"

"It was Saruman, former head of the White Council which Lord Elrond, Lady Galadriel and a few others besides myself are part of. He made the avalanche and its obvious that if we try to go further he will just send another one even more powerful than this one. I didn't want to go, but now it seems there is no choice. Unless Frodo wishes to continue over the mountain. We must go back down to, and through, the mines of Moria."

Gimli popped up with a snarl, beside Pippin, shaking snow from his beard to exclaim, "And what is wrong with Moria, Gandalf ?! It is a beautiful place, a gigantic palace built underground as all dwarven buildings are and filled with more food and drink than we could ever need in two life-times. My cousin Balin is Lord of Moria, he will welcome us, even the elf and Loki. Well, Frodo, my lad, what say you ?"

_'Gandalf knows, but does Gimli not know what is supposed to live down there ? The great beast of fire and shadow from the First Age. If it is real, is it safe for us to go down ? Not in the least. But, if Saruman is going to send another storm we would be safer where he couldn't reach us, even if it is in Moria.'_

Frodo hesitated for a moment looking at everyone for a second, before saying, "We'll probably be safer in Moria, Gandalf, I would go there."

With Frodo's decision made, he stared as Loki turned to make a path back down the mountain. As the rest of the Fellowship filed past him, he wondered, _'What did Loki think of that kiss ? I mean, he didn't really **do** anything about it. Did he hate it, not mind it, maybe, maybe even...like it ?'_

Nervous and reluctant to find out about both things, he turned and started after the others.


	18. Doors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation : Mellon - Friend

Loki couldn't help remembering Legolas kissing him even though it had happened hours ago. Mostly because he still couldn't believe it had happened. It played in his mind even more than the fact that they had been attacked on the way between the mountain and the forest around Moria.

**Flashback**

They stood on the rise of a hill, when Legolas cried, "Wargs, wargs are coming !"

He started scanning the hillside below them and the tree-line. _'After what happened with Acharn killing those pups Father, I don't really want to, but I suppose I'll have to.'_

A few wolves burst out of the dark trees towards them and he turned to the ones who had tried to sneak up. Simply because bilgesnipes were hard to hurt and he wouldn't lose his knives, he shifted into one.

When they saw his new form, the wolves facing him faltered long enough for him to lower his head and charge. Winced when his antlers impacted with, and the tines punctured, a brindled wolf's skull as he remembered that mother and her pups. Tossed his head and threw the wolf away, she scrambled out of the fight quickly. Arrows whistled through the air first around him and then back down the hill.

Lashed out with his right back-hoof as one wolf scratched at his leg hitting deep fur, the wolf yelped as it went flying. Turned and rushed down the hill barreling into a wolf that was trying to jump on Boromir.

Gandalf had started some sort of fire spell, as Merry and Pippin were slashing at the wolves with their daggers, Sam was using a frying-pan and Frodo his sword Sting.

It relieved him when the wolves fled finally and he shifted back into his regular form to check his armour. The dark-gold slashed black, silver and emerald green leather/ scale-mail armour was fine.

Legolas walked down from the hill and he wondered if the elf would say anything, except the Prince of Mirkwood avoided looking at him. _'He didn't like kissing me then ?'_

**End Flashback**

Stared over the white/grey sand along the lake's winding shore up to Legolas. The elf sat with Gandalf and Frodo under a tree trying to figure out some sort of riddle to open the door. The stone doors of Moria which were without visible hinges or seams. Also they could only be opened by solving the riddle written that was written in both Elvish and Dwarven moon-runes.

Gimli was pacing beside the doors. Every once in a while, the dwarf looked up at the great, grey mountain and sometimes slammed on the wall trying to get a response from within. Sam and Merry were petting Bill the pony who had wandered to the water to drink.

Pippin who was a few feet away throwing stones into said water called, "Have you got it yet, Gandalf ? I'm tired of standing."

"Then sit down you foolish Took. We are trying to think over here."

A hand landed on his shoulder and he startled, "What bothers you ? You seemed well this morning. What happened when yourself and Legolas disappeared ?" half-turning he saw that Boromir, unlike Aragorn, had come out of the forest that stretched behind them.

He twisted his spear as he responded, "It's talking to me, Boromir, the Ring talks to me. I told Legolas I couldn't handle it and then he said he'd help me...an-and then he **kissed me** !"

The man sat beside him, "It does to me too. Now, your pardon if I am wrong, but...I thought that yourself and Legolas liked each other or did you only until he kissed you ?"

"No, no, you're right and it was-" _'Wonderful for something so short and interrupted by a damned magical avalanche. Fuck you, Saruman for ruining it !'_

Before he could say any more, there was the sound of many trees cracking and then a thudding, rolling crash. Appropriately thunderous yelling of, " **Where is my brother ?** Loki, brother ! Where are you ?"

_'He's here and, again, with the Nornsdamned **brother** ! I don't need you, Thor. I've got Legolas to help me, maybe love me. So, how long has he been here ? Were those first storms his or just the latest ones ?'_

Heard Thor stride out of the broken forest, not turning to look at Thor until the dark-blond Asgardian walked up to him. When he turned, Thor clad in his red cloak, dark-blue leather tunic and steel breast-plate, gasped and recoiled, horrified at the sight of him. Though he'd expected it, the reaction from the man that he'd thought of as a brother for over a thousand years, the man he'd been in love with for over **eight hundred** of those years, still hurt.

Boromir, his sword leveled at Thor's throat, demanded, "Who are you, heathen ?"

Both pairs of angry blue-eyes met as Thor rumbled, "Me ? I am-"

Legolas, who suddenly stood beside him, snarled, "The Asshole Prince of Asgard otherwise known as Thor."

Grey-eyes met blue and Thor replied, "You dare to disgrace my title, Alf !"

He, and Boromir, both laughed aloud when Legolas punched Thor hard enough to send him flying into the trees. The elf-prince shouted after Thor, "You don't deserve to be Loki's mellon, much less his adopted brother, you bastard !"

Something, a giant octopus type creature burst of the water, a giant green tentacle wrapping around, "Legolas !"

_'Come on, work, work damned ice. Do as I wish.'_

The creature pulled the struggling elf over the water as he left the shore. Ice spread across the water and Boromir followed him as he charged towards the thing. Started throwing the knives, bending backwards then rolling as more tentacles burst out of the ice around and over him. Boromir started hacking at those tentacles, just like Aragorn had. Got to his feet and jumped onto one of the far tentacles, the tentacle flailed wildly smashing him into the side of the mountain.

Growled as he hung on with one arm, unsheathing another knife when the tentacle swung over its head he let go to land in a crouch and started stabbing it. It let out some sort of pained screech and then movement drew his eye. Legolas was jumping across the pieces of smashed ice towards the now open doors.

Gandalf was shouting something he couldn't understand through all the noise. He dropped the knife and leapt after Legolas to roll into the shallow water near the shore running after his friends. Just after he ran into the darkness of the mines there was a smashing sound. The floor shook and he fell as the beast's tentacles smashed into the doors.

A warm hand took his to help him up, as a crystal in Gandalf's staff lit up. Legolas' eyes were worried and the elf's already pale skin was almost white. This time it was his turn to kiss Legolas deeply, when they seperated Legolas started to ask, "What ab-"

"You probably saw his reaction to me, he doesn't care for my true self. He would never love me anyway and that doesn't matter."

Head tilt and the light-blond hair silvered in the crystal's white light, "Why ?"

"Because I love you, Legolas, and I swear that I love you far more than him."

Legolas smiled, "I-I love you too, Loki."

Almost a collective, "Aww.", except that Aragorn, of course, didn't participate. _'Let Thor kill that thing. Though, once again, myself and the others did most of the work for him.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will probably be from Thor's P.O.V. then back to Legolas. Or else it'll just stay the same.


	19. Spell

Furious, Thor rubbed his jaw and picked himself up. _'Not only did that Hel-damned alf insult me, somehow h-he put a spell on Loki, Loki of all beings ! He must have, why else would my brother would want to look like an ugly jotun, instead of who he truly is ? That alf will end his spell or I will end him ! That alf is lucky Mother sent me first or he'd be dead.'_

A beige pony bolted through the smashed trees nieghing in blind terror as it passed him. When he re-entered the area, he saw what looked like a giant dark-green, beaked being in the water. It had lost many tentacles and was covered in dark blood. The farther shore had been blocked by rubble, but no one else was visible, so Loki and the others must have gotten inside.

Unhooked Mjolnir and summoned some lightning, "You wish to keep me from my little brother, beast ? Two years, Mother and I have tried to find him and you will **not** stop me now."

He threw Mjolnir and the crackling hammer slammed into the octopus's beak smashing it, after he caught the hammer he directed the lightning to the water. The kraken let out a deafening screech as it was boiled. Re-hooked Mjolnir and waded into the water as he noticed something shining off the fading lightning, he bent to pick it up - one of Loki's knives - and there were likely more. As he started to pick them up, he couldn't help remembering how he'd come to be here.

**Flashback**

Turned from Father to see Heimdall and a-a ethursbjarkvkivendi walk into the throne room. The giant-stone creature was over thirty feet tall and still it bowed to Father.

"Have you need of something, Heimdall ?"

The dark-skinned, golden armoured and dark-golden eyed Guardian of the Bifrost shook his head, "Not I, Odin King, but Harold Hilfrethursson does. He has news of Loki."

Stood frozen in shock as Harold told of seeing Loki with a group of Alfar on a strange and very far away World called Arda. _'Mother and I have looked everywhere in the Nine Worlds, even courting Surtr's wrath to search Muspelheim. Just in case he'd found some way back, and yet we were looking in the wrong places the whole time.'_

When Harold and Heimdall had left, he turned back to Father, "I'm going to get the others and find Loki."

"How are you going to do that when you know not how to fly a ship ?"

Mother's voice, "I will go with him, Odin. I still remember the way to my second home."

The others refused to go with and so it was only Mother and himself who left that night for Arda.

**End Flashback**

Mother's booted feet crunched over the stony shore. Her silver-blue scale-mail armour glowing brightly, as he picked up the last knife and put it in his belt. Mother had stayed an extra day in that Imladris place to talk to the alf-lord about a matter.

"Did you find them, Thor ?"

"Yes, Mother a-and," _'An alf put a spell on Loki to make him look like a jotun ! That'll just scare Mother, you can't tell her that.'_ ," ah, I got punched by an alf."

For some reason Mother burst out laughing at him. The long brown-hair was pulled back in a spike-studded braid as he walked back up the shore. She replied, "From what Elrond told me Loki and Legolas seem quite close. If Loki told Legolas half the things he cleaned up for you, it's not surprising that he punched you."

_'I did use to be quite useless when it came to that. Not anymore, not since Midgard.'_

Himself and Mother walked up to the doors and with a few strikes of Mjolnir the doors were clear and the path was...spread with dwarven skeletons. _'Not a thing is this like what I wished to see. What happened here ? Dwarves are not the type to give up unless it is dire and not even then at times. There might be other dangers here that Loki and the others don't know of, that we don't know of.'_

Mother's sword scraped against leather as she unsheathed it and he rested a hand on Mjolnir. Warily, they walked and felt their way along the dark, twisting paths until a white-light appeared ahead on a large circular platform from which extended four other branching paths.

They stopped on the edge of the path to wait, and he glared at the alf. At least, until the grey-haired and bearded man in the grey robe, who reminded him much of Father, gestured for them to join the group.


	20. Truth

Legolas hummed as Loki leaned against him, the jotun's tempurature was back to normal now. It made him wonder if the heat made Loki's ice magic just as unstable as shaky/uncontrollable emotions and stress did.

_'I wonder if Thor has dealt with that beast like Loki said he would ? How could Thor look that horrified by Loki's true appearance, unless he didn't know. If Thor is here, are those so-called friends of Loki's here too ? I'd love to punch them as well all the things Mother said they did to him.'_

Felt a glare land on him that wasn't from Aragorn, and at the sound of foot-steps and a sword sheathing, Loki looked up and then exclaimed, " **Mother !** "

Smiled as Loki got up and rushed across the biege-rock platform to hug the brown-haired woman he knew was Frigga, unlike Thor, the Queen of Asgard didn't look horrified, she just returned Loki's embrace.

By her tone what she said didn't need a translation, "Mein dyrr Loki." as she ran a hand through the black-hair. "Two years, two years and I'd almost given up. I can't believe I never thought to look here."

He got up and ignoring Thor moved to stand beside Loki as the jotun pulled slightly away, "Two **years** ? I've only been here at the most two months, I-I don't understand, Mother. How is that possible ?"

Frigga shook her head, "I don't know, but that's how it is when you go between Asgard and Arda." 

"But, I didn't go, I **fell** and then the Norn Skuld showed up and after a talk I ended up coming here. Well, into Mirkwood, really...oh, Mother," Here Loki gave him a look and then said proudly, "Mother, this is my love, Legolas Thranduilson, Prince of the Elves of Northern Mirkwood."

Frigga smiled gently at him, "It's lovely to meet you, Legolas. Is Oropher still alive ?"

Put his fist over his heart and bowed, "You as well, Queen Frigga, I've heard much about you from Loki. And I'm sorry, but no, my grandfather was killed many years ago."

"Oh, my apologies, Legolas, he was a lovely alf and an even better ruler."

_'It's too bad I hardly remember him aside from paintings and such. Grandfather really was amazing from Father's stories.'_

Nodded his thanks and then Loki was pulling Frigga away to introduce everyone else. Thor's hand still rested on the hammer Mjolnir and the Asgardian Prince growled, "Why did you put that spell on Loki ?"

Raised his hands to try calming the darker blond, "I am Prince of Mirkwood alone, I know not any magic to do such."

Frigga called as she walked back up, "Thor, you cannot blame Legolas. If you must blame anyone, you can only blame Laufey...and your father."

Watched Thor shake his head in denial, "I know it is not my place, Thor, but Loki has explained what happened to me. It was King Odin who put the spell on Loki to make him look like an Asgardian."

"No ! Loki can't be a jotun, it doesn't make sense. He's not a jotun."

He'd expected Boromir to speak up not Aragorn, but it was indeed Aragorn who did, "It is so, I have seen him make the ice magic and even had it, very much deservedly, done to myself once."

_'Does that mean Aragorn just learned something ? He's really not going to keep glaring and such at Loki and I anymore ?'_

Slowly, he moved away so that he could sit back down, Merry and Pippin were staring at Frigga and Thor in amazment. Sam wandered over to ask, "Mr.- ah, Legolas, is that really Loki's Mother ? Well, adopted mother, she seems like a nice lady for the first Queen I've met."

That made him nod as he quietly answered the light-shirted hobbit, "Yes, she is and a very nice Mother and Queen both from Loki's stories."

A faint thudding sound as Gimli came back along the far right path and Aragorn went to meet him.

When Loki said, "It is true, Thor, Laufey is my father. Laufey abandoned me to die and Father rescued me, before giving me an Asgardian appearance and telling us both I was your brother. I-I only found out on Jotunheim and I didn't want to believe it. I already hated myself because of the others and that just made it worse, I wanted to destroy something, anything to prove it was wrong. That I couldn't be one." he looked up.

Loki had a hand against the back of Thor's neck, staring into blue-eyes that were no longer horrified, but shocked at what he was learning. _'I know eight hundred years of feelings won't go away over night, but how long is it going to take ?'_

Once again, Thor shook his head and then strode past Frodo, Gandalf and Sam for the far left path. Worry filled him as Loki ran after his older brother. _'Lady Varda, **please** don't let them get lost.'_

Frigga sat down beside him, "They will find their way back, don't worry Legolas, right Gandalf ?"

Gandalf's staff thudded against the floor as he responded, "I am sure they will, Frigga, they're smart most of the time. We'll wait for them to get back and then continue on."

He stared into the far darkness for a while, before his gaze ended up drifting to the middle path. The one path that could be clearly seen by Gandalf's staff light, it had a set of very short, steep, beige steps cut into it. That was when Frodo asked him about his grandfather and he launched into a tale that Father had told him of when Father himself had been growing up.


	21. Truth - Part 2

Loki grunted as he crashed into Thor's back when the Asgardian stopped suddenly. Far, far above there was a faint pin-prick of light that illuminated the dried up bathing area in front of them, more dwarven skeletons were scattered about. One body laid out in the bottom of a pool, as he edged around Thor, had an orcish arrow through its left eye-socket.

Shook himself and asked, "Just why is it so hard for you to believe that Father lied to you, Thor ? Truly do you think I would lie about something **this** important ? What have I to gain by doing so ? Nought." as he turned to look at Thor.

Tanned, calloused hands landed on his shoulders, that fluttering in his stomach and he resisted the urge to shiver at the intensity in those eyes. _'If I hadn't already told Legolas I loved him, I think I would have just told Thor.'_

A hand slid down to land on his chest, "How could you have hated yourself, Loki ? Who could hate my little brother ?"

Mirthless laughter burst from his lips, "Who could hate me ? Who could hate **me** , Thor ?! How about nearly fucking **everyone** on Asgard ! Oh, look everyone it's Loki, let's tell him how useless he is for not wanting to train every second of every day or wanting to read instead. Let's tell him how **weak** he is for preferring long-range weapons and using **magic** instead of short-range weapons. Otherwise known as Sif, Hogun, Fandral and Volstagg - all of your friends who only put up with me because you wouldn't be friends with them otherwise ! They left me to **die** on Vanaheim, Thor, if it hadn't been for that old lady I would have died that day." ice spiralled across the floor in his anger.

Thor was looking down at him like the man had never seen him before, Thor's hand slid to his side and then he was jerked into a crushing embrace, "I-I didn't know that Loki, I'm so sorry, brother. It does explain why they refused to come with though. So, Father lied to everyone about you, even yourself ?"

_'One thing I didn't miss, being crushed every single time he does this. It still feels nice in that romantic way, but is it ever going to go **away**?' _

He nodded and pulled back so that he could breathe, "Everyone, but Mother, Laufey told me he suspected that Father had taken me when I showed up. And it's likely he lied to my birth mother about what happened to me before he killed her. That's part of why I enjoyed killing him so much, but just like Sif and the others he thought I was weak. I thought if I killed him, if I destroyed Jotunheim that I could erase the memories of finding out what I was and Father would finally be proud of me. I'm glad you let me go, otherwise I wouldn't have learned all that I have now is real - I have friends, Thor, real friends ! Acharn, Air, Merry, Pippin and even Boromir. Hmm, then there's Legolas, it's funny that he punched you as you really were an ass to me for quite a few years."

Another apology from Thor, before, "Oh, I found your knives after I electrocuted that kraken. Just how many of these do you have, Loki ?" and the blue-leather and steel clad Asgardian started handing them back to him.

When Thor gave them, he started re-sheathing them on his belt and replied, "As many as I need. Mother and yourself really looked for me for two years ?"

"You may be a jotun now, but you are still my **brother** , you will **always** be my brother. No matter what happens, if Mother and I are able we will look for you as you would us."

They started to try to find their way back along the now black rock walls and after going down many hallways they realized that they were lost. He ran a hand through his hair before he announced, "I could shift into a bird and try to find the way back to the others."

"No, Loki, then if you get lost, we'll both be lost possibly far apart and I just barely found you again. We look, and if there be enemies, we fight together as we would have these past two years."

_'Well, it's nice to have you back on my side, big brother.'_

 So, yet again, they started looking while he called for Mother, Legolas and the others, Thor called for Mother. Mother was in front as she, Legolas and Boromir ran along the path up to them.

Legolas shook his head with a faint smile on his pale-skinned face, "What happens when I ask Lady Varda to guide you in not getting lost ? You get lost, perhaps then I should have asked her to **help** you get lost instead. Remind me to do that if you have to leave again, no ?"

"Of course, love."

It felt nice having his family back together, a part of him almost wished Acharn and Air could have been there as well. _'Even if this does go wrong, at least, Air, Acharn and Elrond will be able to live a bit longer, before having to fight for others and their own lives once again. While we would be meeting in Valhalla or Mandos' Halls, while all of Middle-Earth would be in ruin, Valog would be eating our corpses, and that's **not** acceptable.'_


	22. Refuse

Legolas couldn't help feeling like there were eyes on him, but no one was looking at him - Gandalf, Frigga and Frodo who were on watch were talking, while Merry, Pippin and Sam were discussing what could be happening back in the Shire and Aragorn was talking to Thor about Arda and its history as Boromir and Loki were still asleep. Once again, Gimli had left to see if he could find Balin, Gandalf had said last night that they were getting closer to the east bridge exit and if Balin were still alive he would be near there.

_'Is Loki doing one of his illusions again or are there still orcs here and they're biding their time ? Why wouldn't they have attacked when we were mostly asleep ? They could have slaughtered us then.'_

Distracted from that feeling by Loki's suddenly twitching form. Rather like how months ago Loki had shaken him, he started shaking the jotun, "Loki, Loki, wake up ! The Ring can't make you do anything, wake up."

_'Why won't it leave him alone ? Why doesn't it just go after Gandalf instead of him ? Gandalf is just as powerful and actually from this World... **that's** why it wants Loki doesn't it ? If the Ring broke Loki and took over Middle-Earth, then Sauron could use him to try taking over Jotunheim and Asgard.'_

Frigga and Thor had rushed over to crouch beside himself and Loki. Frigga looked worried as Thor demanded, "What is wrong with him ?!"

Frigga answered, "It's the One Ring, it's trying to influence Loki to take it more than I've seen it with anyone before and he's resisting. Why wasn't it destroyed ?"

Frodo spoke up, "According to Lord Elrond the Ring influenced Isildur to keep it, then it went to Gollum," He couldn't help wincing remembering how Valog had stolen Gollum right from under him. "and then my uncle Bilbo 'found' it and I was given it sixty years later. There's never been an opportunity to destroy it, my Queen, and the Ring is trying to influence both Loki and Boromir to take it from me."  

Loki awoke with a shudder as Frigga stroked his shoulder, "Mother, d-do you think Thor could try destroying it ?"

_'Why do I have the feeling he really just wants to see Thor go flying into a wall ? Right, because that's how he is - like with what he did to Aragorn seven nights out from Imladris.'_

**Flashback**

They'd stopped at the foot of the hill and sat by the stream, Aragorn was running uphill...towards a tree. Sam called, "Aragorn what're you doing ?", as the mid-day sun was undoubtly blinding the dark-haired man.

"What am I doing ? What are you doing standing there with a-" **thud** , Aragorn slammed right into the tree. A few seconds later, the Ranger side-stepped around the tree and then screamed and turned, trying to run before he tripped and rolled down the hill to land with a splash in the stream.

He turned to see Loki was smirking and chuckling quietly to himself, while he couldn't help grinning, glad that Loki had found some way to distract himself from missing Acharn and Air.

**End Flashback**

Frodo pondered the situation before reluctantly saying, "I suppose he could try, but if it works what are we going to do ? Just go on to Rohan and Gondor because we can ?"

Ever since he and Loki had talked and read in Imladris library about the Horse-lords of Rohan or the Rohirrim, it had interested them both. Himself because he'd never been to Rohan before and Father had mentioned that Mother had gone there once, Loki because they seemed to have similarities in speech and writing to the type in Asgard.

Loki pushed himself up to say, "I told Boromir that if possible I would go with himself and Faramir to help straighten out his father and I would do so if we may whether this works or not."

Watched as Frodo took out the Ring and put it on the floor as Thor straightened up and unhooked Mjolnir. Just like Gimli, and just like Loki had wanted, Thor went flying, but unlike Gimli's axe, Mjolnir flew into the ceiling and then into the floor. Meanwhile the Ring, and silver chain, also bounced into the air, it glittered brightly in the now semi-darkness.

Loki scrambled away slamming into his chest as he wrapped his arms around Loki's tightly. _'We played right into this one didn't we ?'_ The Ring's tinkle seemed deafening in the silence as it landed near them and started rolling towards the jotun.

A snarled, "Get away from me you thrice accursed Ring ! I don't need your help, you lie and I **will not** be your victim.", as Loki squirming in his hold, trying to get farther away, kicked at the golden band it spun away...towards Boromir.

When Thor intercepted the Ring with his boot, everyone tensed as Thor bent to pick up the chain. _'Is it going to go after him too ? He **is** Prince of Asgard after all, with him the One Ring would have more chance of getting to Asgard, since Loki doesn't really want to go home anymore.'_

It was only when Frodo had almost snatched the Ring from Thor and slipped it over his neck that Loki relaxed. Gimli cleared his throat and everyone jumped, instinctively his head jerked to look at the brown-haired dwarf.

"What's with all this jumping about, eh ? M' Lady n' lads, you look like ya saw a ghost. I thought that elves had good hearing, Legolas ?"

"And **I** thought that dwarves were supposed to be noisy, Gimli."

Himself and the dwarf had tried to get over their mutual dislike for one another since Gimli had apologized, for insulting Loki at the feast weeks ago, last night or whatever time it had actually been.

Gandalf told them to get up and then they headed the way Gimli had come from eagerly - as today was the day they would reach the bridge of Khazad-dum and the Dimrill Dale. How they all loved the thought of leaving the darkness of the mines behind them, they fantasied about the light and warmth the Dimrill Dale would return to them.

Said dale was supposed to be an arrow-head shape with sloping hills leading to the dwarf-road and a forest of beech and fir trees, whilst the pool Mirrormere that lay east and within was something that Gimli said he wished to see.

Last night Loki said that he wanted to see the Silverlode that came down from the mountains so cold that no being in Middle-Earth could drink from it. Loki as he'd embraced his jotun heritage's love for the cold and ice saw that as a challenge. The happiness that had seized the group evaporated as they entered the guardroom that Gandalf said eventually led to the bridge and Gimli let out an anguished scream of, "Balin !" before rushing into the room.

Everything in the room - from the numerous corpses, one of which held a book, to the dark-blue/gray tomb in the center that was lit by a sun-beam from the window above, and the white-stone well off to the side - was covered in cobwebs and dust. Everyone was still until Gimli's sobs broke the silence as the dwarf knelt beside the tomb. Slowly and quietly, they filed into the room to loosely ring Gimli, and Balin's tomb. Dimly, he noticed that columns and a recessed area lined the outer-edge, he might not have particularly liked Gimli, but he could relate for his mother's loss.

_'Poor Gimli ! All this time he had hope that maybe his cousin was alive. Alas that it was not so. Surely it would have bolstered everyone's morale, but, Gimli's most of all, to have found the dwarf-lord breathing. What could have killed Balin, but left enough dwarves to still give him this great coffin covered in runes ? Are we to be the next victims of this thing ?'_

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Loki, Frigga and Thor move closer together as did the hobbits.


	23. Troll

Loki let go of Mother and Thor to look around on the far side of the guardroom was the door that led to the bridge. His gaze was drawn to Pippin as the red-haired hobbit, looking bored, wandered over to the well. It was only then that he noticed there was a corpse leant against the well and a chained bucket on top of the wall.

Of course, Pippin had to poke the skeleton causing the bucket to topple off the edge and pull the skeleton through the wall. Maybe it was just the evil feeling from the Ring earlier, but he shifted into raven-form and flapped above the well before diving after the skeleton and bucket. It was pitch-black in the well and his folded wings brushed the walls.

_'Come on, come on. A bat would have been a better choice, at least, I could see something then. Where are they ?'_

The sudden clang against the ground told him he'd been too late. Then due to being darkness blinded he slammed beak/nose-first into the ground with a pained croak. Shook himself and got to his feet, the world spun as he dizzily looked around - fires were lit a few feet away from him and the orcs that surrounded those fires were getting up.

Panicked, he flapped as hard as he could into the air, spiralling to avoid an arrow, nearly crashing into the well opening as he did so. Deep, thudding drum-beats like a great heart suddenly filled the well disorienting him even more, some time later he burst out into the dazzling light of the grey/blue guardroom. His vision spun sickeningly as he landed on the floor and shifted back into his regular-form to crouch on the floor and wipe blood from his nose. A few seconds later, he managed to gasp, "Orcs...there are...orcs coming now !"

All that dizziness, panic and adrenaline made him sick for the first time in over seven hundred years. Legolas' hand let go of his hair, he wiped his mouth before unslinging his spear from his back and standing up. Legolas unslung his bow and started nocking arrows.

Distantly, he heard Gandalf berating Pippin about being, "A fool Took worse than any other."

Boromir who had closed the close door, was leaning out the far door before suddenly slamming it shut, "Loki, you didn't see a cave troll did you ?"

_'Cave troll ? I would have noticed a giant, brown and grey-skinned cave troll thank-you very much.'_

"No, why ?"

"They have a cave troll."

Thor, Aragorn and Boromir were pulling pole-axes and halberds from the floor before barricading the doors with them. Gimli was suddenly jumping up and rushing for the doors, roaring, "I'll kill them all for Moria, for **Balin** !"

He pushed the dizziness away as Merry, Pippin, Sam and Frodo got in front of them. An axe crunched through the right door before being pulled away, then Legolas let one of the arrows fly through the gap. Orcs broke through and streamed in to clash with the Prince of Asgard and the heirs of Islidur and the Steward.

The orcs swarmed around them and he thrust his spear into one; before pulling the spear out and slamming the spear-butt across its face. Legolas was slashing and slicing through orcs with his long-knives, he noticed magical fire from Gandalf.

Lightning flashed and orcs fell from not only that, but Gimli's axe as the dwarf was charging wildly from orc to orc. Leapt backward onto the platform, ducking behind a pillar as rain blew in from the window across the orcs nearest him and he willed the rain to freeze in a thick layer, before he leaned back out to throw knives into their foreheads, just like the spiders.

While Merry, Pippin and Sam were doing a good job of protecting Frodo, he wouldn't let it be thought that he'd been named Protector of the Ring-bearer for nothing. Seconds later, he'd projected an illusion of Frodo into the far corner. Then vaulted off the platform to grab the real hobbit, before rushing Frodo onto the platform.

Mother and Gandalf moved in front of the Frodo illusion as with a terrific roar a gaint...white-blue skinned...troll with a club was dragged inside in chains. The troll's skin-color had him suddenly feeling dizzy again, _'Oh Norns help me ! It, it looks like a jotun...its colored like one and eight-feet tall like some, but its got even bigger muscles and looks far more stupid. That, that can't be a coincidence either. Did that Morgoth find a way to Jotunheim and twist some of the Jotnar way back in Arda's First Age ?'_

Thor and Legolas were teaming up to take on the troll as it lumbered towards the Frodo illusion, Mother and Gandalf. Legolas dodged under a chain turned whip as Thor electrocuted the chain. That just made the troll mad and he punched Legolas in the chest. The elf crashed on top of Balin's tomb with a cracking sound. Rage-filled, he launched himself off the platform to throw his spear into the troll's chest, grabbing the spear and flipping off it to land on the troll's neck; he did that as Aragorn slashed across the troll's stomach. At the least, it made the troll turn around, looking for him and not focusing on Mother or the illusion Frodo.

Thor shouted, "Get off of it, Loki ! I can't electrocute it with you on it."

_'Well, if we don't get rid of it **now** its going to kill the real Frodo if it can find him.'_

Annoyed, he unsheathed a knife and back-flipped off, slicing down its back as he did. When he nearly got stepped on as it roared in pain, Pippin threw rocks at the troll to distract it. He unsheathed another of his knives, ducking behind one of the orcs a knife on either side of its neck to pull them across. Spun on his heel to cross his arms and block a sword blow, he shoved the sword back at the orc; before dropping a knife to grab the sword, turning it on its owner and decapitating it.

There was the sound of bone crunching as Mjolnir crashed into the troll's face. Mjolnir's impact sent it flying into the far wall, far too close to Frodo. He half-turned to see Legolas running across the floor. His gaze followed the elf to see him thrust his long-knives into the troll's chest. Just before the elven-prince was pulling his long-knives out and backing away. As the troll got up, it was once again electrocuted. Something slammed into the side of his head and everything spun into darkness. _'Frodo has to be alive ! This can't be for nothing, it can't be. It's my fault if he's dead !'_


	24. Escape

Legolas backed farther away as the cave troll started to fall, then gasped to see Loki unconscious in its path as an orc fled. That had him throwing himself forward into a roll and scooping the jotun into his arms before Aragorn pulled them both out of the way. The floor shook as the troll fell just where they had lain. _'Where's Frodo ? Where's Frodo ? Don't tell me he got crushed or stabbed while we weren't looking.'_

He turned to look for the Ring-bearer who appeared beside Balin's tomb as an illusion wore off. _'Frodo looks whole, he's alive, so does everyone else. But, Loki's not going to be happy we killed that troll when he wakes up and finds it snapped his spear. Why did it get so quiet and where did all of the orcs disappear to ?'_

In the wake of the troll's fall everything was silent, except for their heavy breathing as they waited for something to happen. A fiery light slowly filled the hallway outside of the guardroom. Slowly, the nine foot-tall balrog, made of fire and shadow, just like in Father's stories, filled the hall. _'It is a balrog ! The orcs were following its lead or something. We're all going to die if it catches us.'_

The balrog's heat easily filled the whole room, then Gandalf was shouting, "Run, run !"

As he turned and jumped onto the platform bolting through the door, he heard Thor ask, "Why ? I can handle it !"

The rock turned to rougher red-brown stone and he scrambled to stop as the floor suddenly ran out turning into empty air over a hundred feet down. Boromir slammed into him and Loki, he barely kept his balance as he spotted the path continuing on the left and started off as fast, but safely as he could. Their very thin, one person at a time, path wound around the chamber and downward towards a biege stone bridge.

_'This would be easier if Loki would wake up and I wouldn't have to support both of us.'_

Looked behind himself briefly to see that everyone else was still alive as he turned a sharp corner. Loki stirred suddenly throwing him off-balance as the jotun half-rolled out of his arms.

Frigga shouted from the back of the group, "Loki, wake up, now !"

Boromir once again slammed into him as Loki climbed out of his arms to start running along the path. Thor flew past them using Mjolnir to control the air, with Frodo tightly in his grip, to land below them on the far side of the room. There was a half-scream as someone started to fall and he couldn't stop to see who. No sense of time and he just barely kept track of Loki's back so that he wouldn't kill himself and then the bridge came into sight.

 _'We can't cross that ! It's still just as small as the path was.'_ The balrog roared far behind and above them, according to Father the balrog had wings. So, it wouldn't be a problem for the balrog to just fly right over them to go for Frodo directly. He moved to the side and motioned for Sam and Gimli to cross the bridge, another roar from the balrog as it launched itself off the ledge and Thor's lightning intercepted it. For a second, the balrog fell before it unfurled wings made of bone, shadow and fire to slow itself, slamming into the bridge which shook under its weight.

Frigga, Merry and Pippin ran past him as Gandalf moved to block the bridge. Aragorn and Boromir stood beside the wizard, Gandalf shook his head to state, "You cannot fight this, I will hold it off."

He leapt forward to grab Boromir and start pulling the struggling Steward's heir across the bridge as some of Loki's ice briefly formed over one of the balrog's eyes before melting. Gandalf shoved Aragorn away as the balrog advanced with a whip and sword made of flame.

Half-way across as Aragorn reluctantly followed them, an arrow whipped past an inch from Boromir's face. In front of them there was a burst of white-fire that briefly engulfed the balrog as Gandalf shouted, "By the flame of Arnor, you shall not pass !"

Nearly fell as the path widened and he still expected it to be small, Boromir fell on him before quickly rolling off. Quickly, he got up, unslinging his bow, nocking an arrow and sighting towards the upper right of the chamber - on a rock spur was the orc archer, he let the arrow fly, there was a scream as the orc plunged into the dark depths below.

His gaze swept across the high places to realize, _'We're surrounded !'_   When he killed one, another replaced it.

Loki for a second managed to freeze the balrog's sword solid and useless, before calling, "Gandalf, leave the balrog and get yourself across!"

Fear for Gandalf and awe of the fight rooted him in place...until the fire-whip wrapped around Gandalf's sword to pull and cast it over the edge. There was a crack as Gandalf backed away and slammed his staff into the bridge causing it to break in half. The balrog as it fell however wouldn't let its killer get away and the whip arced up to wrap around Gandalf's legs.

The old wizard hissed, "Go, run. Fly, you fools.", as he was dragged over the jagged edge into darkness.

Distantly, he heard Frodo scream, " **Gandalf !** ", as he turned to see a bright patch of sunlight behind them and felt a breeze. It was an oddly detached experience to watch himself as his body along with Boromir, who grabbed Frodo, and the others ran out of Moria with arrows whizzing past them into the walls, one just missed his right ear.

They burst out of the mines of Moria into the bright-blue and middling/dark greens of the Dimrill Dale, but, being alive didn't seem like much of a victory. A single thought kept running through his head as he collasped on the grass, _'Gandalf is dead, Gandalf is dead, Gandalf is dead !'_


	25. Grief

Loki stared dumbly as the grass under his hands frosted over. _'This is a dream, it must be ! How can Gandalf be gone ? How can a wizard just die after helping so many people ? We couldn't do anything, I couldn't do anything, and I was most likely to help him. He helped me and what did I do in return ? I failed at saving him, if I had frozen that whip too, he would be here.'_

**Flashback**

It should have been mid-day and lunch, but, for them it was morning and breakfast. Frodo walked over to him, it was the first time he'd really met the Ring-bearing hobbit.

"Mr. Niss ?"

"Yes, Frodo ?"

"W-would you want to listen to some Shire stories ?"

 A hand landed on his shoulder, he half-turned to see the bearded wizard smiling at him, "Come now, Loki, you cannot avoid everyone forever. Join us and maybe have some fun, after all one story can't hurt you."

_'Really, Gandalf ? Like the story that Father told Thor and I of the Jotnar being always evil ? It wasn't a surprise to him that I was a jotun, he knowingly told me that story. Told me unconsciously that I was evil and always would be by that I will say that one story can hurt.'_

Gandalf's blue-eyes were warm and slightly sad, somehow he got the feeling that Gandalf knew about that story. The wizard sat beside Frodo and Sam, while Legolas lay in the warm grass beside Frodo, he joined the elven-prince.

It was odd to hear a story that wasn't full of blood and boisterous battles, the story Sam told was simply of a time his father or the old Gaffer as he was also called, had forgotten someone's, apprarently exceptionally fine, petunias. The old hobbit had had to go all over the Shire to find them because they'd been stolen. Said old hobbit had only found the flowers because Sam, Frodo, Merry and Pippin had been messing about at the Sackville-Baggins's house - where the flowers were found in the wide open in a flower-pot. When the old hobbit had tried to get them back, Ms. Lobelia Sackville-Baggins claimed that Sam had given them as a present. It took Pippin picking up a vase, and almost dropping it, before the woman would return the flowers.

When the story was finished, Gandalf raised bushy, white-eyebrows at him, "Do you see Loki, how even the smallest part can have the most impact ? If it hadn't been for Pippin the flowers would have been lost forever and if you hadn't helped Thor and the others all those times, they could have died. Without you, all those feats they like to brag about ? They wouldn't have worked out nearly so well."

**End Flashback**

A voice, "Loki, Loki, you're wounded.", faintly he realized it wasn't Thor or Boromir, but Aragorn's voice.

He looked up at the dark-brown haired man and heard the rushing of a stream near-by, the Silverlode. Pain made the numbness of shock disappear as an arrow shaft was unmercifully yanked out of his side. That pain made him fumble as he pulled his armour and tunic off by hand, instead of just willing it to disappear, for something to do.

Before he pressed a hand to his side and half-walked/half-staggered to fall into the shallow stream, it was only mildly chilly as it flowed across his skin. As he washed the wound, he willed the water that entered it to freeze and stop the bleeding, before ducking his head under to try to rid himself of the dull ache that had settled in the back of his mind. The Silverlode's water was colder than it felt, while it tasted bittersweet - like a mixture of particularly bitter yarrow leaves and honey - appropriate considering what had just transpired as he surfaced.

_'We're alive and Frodo is safe for now, but the only one who knew all the secret dangers from Rohan to Moria is dead. I can't remember the map that well now, while Legolas' focus was split between myself and the map. Who still knows the way, but Aragorn or Boromir ?'_

Slowly, he got up and turned from the mix of beech and fir-trees to look at the others. Gimli looked ready to turn and charge back into Moria, while Mother who was rubbing at a slash in her left side's armour looked ready to stop the grief-maddened dwarf. Thor was fine, but looked uncomfortable at the situation. Pippin and Merry were sat on the ground, staring into the middle-distance, at Thor's feet. While Frodo and Sam clutched at each other.

Aragorn crouched over Boromir a few feet away, he was telling the lighter-brown haired man something to which Boromir spat, "No, we're not ! Can't you see we're tired, Aragorn, we just watched Gandalf **die** ! Don't you care at all ?"   

The Ranger turned and came up to him, "Loki, I know we haven't gotten along at all, but please help me. We need to get everyone out of here before the orcs decide to follow us. As I've known them longer, I'll help Frodo, the others and Boromir. You can take Legolas and help your mother with Gimli."

Part of him wanted to argue that he could help Boromir as well, but Gandalf wouldn't have wanted that. "Where are we going to go ?"

"We'll follow the Silverlode, until it turns into the Celebrant river and then onward to the Golden Forest called also the forest of Lothlorien."

If he answered he wasn't aware of it and found himself lifting Legolas' chin as tears dripped over his fingers. Grey-eyes were dull as he asked, "Legolas, love ? Gandalf wouldn't want us to stay here like this. We need to get Frodo and the others to Lothlorien, they'll be safer there."

He helped the elf to get up then Legolas leant on him with an arm around his waist as Mother, Gimli and Thor walked past. Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin followed listlessly after Aragorn and Boromir down along the stream. _'Didn't Gandalf say that Lothlorien meant 'Dreamflower' ? Surely, a place with a name like that will be safe, it must be.'_


	26. Mallorn

As they followed the Celebrant slowly, the green leaves and pine-needles gave way to streams and grassy fields. Legolas was not the only one who stopped at the full, glorious sight of the huge, golden-leaved and silver-trunked mallorn trees, Loki and Gimli did as well. When he looked over at Loki the jotun looked amazed, while Gimli looked freightened. The sight of the trees and Loki's amazement briefly lifted his spirits.

The jotun leapt over to his mother to excitedly ask, "Don't they look like Glasir, Mother, Thor ? Aren't they beautiful ?"

He couldn't help the smile that crossed his face, _'He sounds just like Air with all his questions. Acharn and Air would have loved to see the mallorns, too or in their cases, again.'_

Frigga replied, as she stopped as well, "Yes, they do. They're a fine sight after this morning."

Sunlight filtering through the mallorn leaves dappled the forest floor gold. Boromir wandered over to stand beside Loki to look at the forest as well, "You have a tree like this ? Where is it ?"

Loki, Thor and Frigga answered simultanteously, "In Valhalla."

Then Frigga continued, "Glasir is the most beautiful tree in all of the Nine Worlds." before she muttered softly, "...I wonder what Odin is doing now."

_'At least, I have Loki here with me, Frigga doesn't have that. I wonder if we would be able to see Lothlorien's library ? Gandalf said he wanted to look up something if we came here, I wonder what it was. If I'd known I could have done it for him any ways.'_

Boromir nodded and reached back to adjust to his shield, "Shall we go on ?"

The hobbits had run ahead of them into the forest with Aragorn and then Boromir trying to catch up. As soon as he entered the golden forest, like when they'd entered Imladris, he felt calmer and the grief didn't seem so heavy. Since Loki had stayed with him the whole afternoon, he noticed immediately that Loki wasn't beside him anymore. When he looked back Loki, with Gimli beside him, stood just outside the tree-line, like there was some invisible barrier blocking their way. The two were exchanging looks like they were going to be bitten for stepping over the line.  

Gimli shook his head and eyed Lothlorien suspiciously, gripping his battle-axe's hilt tightly as he stated, "I'm not going in there. Bad enough it's an elf-forest, worse there's a great elf-witch in there ! People go in and they don't come out, unless she turns 'em into her slaves. Well, this is one dwarf who won't be her slave ! Arggh !" Gimli had looked back and suddenly darted into the forest.

_'What did Loki just make Gimli see ? Do I want to know ? Yes, but no.'_

"You get Gimli into the forest and still you refuse yourself entry. What is wrong ? You have nothing to fear from the Lady Galadriel. Even were you to never would I let her hurt you." As he said that, he stepped up to hold out a hand to Loki.

Loki took his hand lightly and sighed, "I murdered my birth father, destroyed part of Jotunheim and possibly killed many of my own people, Legolas. Why should I be allowed this, one of the most beautiful sights ever I have seen ? When I don't deserve it for failing to save Gandalf."

He tightened his grip on Loki's hand, "The One Ring passed through and the spirit that controls it has killed far more people than you have, surely it will let you. There was nothing we could do for Gandalf - you saw how fast your ice melted and Thor's lightning hardly did anything to the balrog, it's not your fault that he died, it's the balrog's. Come with me, I'm sure Lothlorien has as wonderful a library as Imladris. He probably knew how much you would want to see it, if not for me, do it for Gandalf."

Slowly, he backed up and gently pulled his love under the golden leaves, before they went to find the others. As the others had stopped to marvel at the forest, they didn't have far to go. That was when he heard the faintest sound of many elvish foot-steps in the upper branches of the far trees, seconds later, he unconsciously had his bow out and an arrow nocked. Not even half a minute later they were surrounded.


	27. Haldir

Encircled by eleven light- or darker-blond, grey-cloaked elves, Loki reached back for his spear and briefly panicked when it wasn't there. _'What happened to it ? What happened to my spear ? That bloody troll broke my spear ! If it wasn't dead, I'd go back and **kill** it !'_

On either side of him, Legolas had his bow out and Thor had Mjolnir. As everyone went back to back, one of the three paler-skinned, golden-blond elves stepped forward with an arrow pointed at him.

"Hail to our kin from Mirkwood."

"I am Legolas Thranduilion, Prince of the Elves of Northern Mirkwood."

After a nod to Legolas, the elf's eyes turned from the elven-prince to become angry and suspicious as they roved over himself and the others, "You dare to bring not only an orc prisoner, but a **dwarf** into Lothlorien ? You're lucky we didn't shoot the dwarf for breathing so loudly. Who are you...creature ?" That last said directly into his face with a sneer and finger-twitch.

_'Insulting me I may have thought of letting pass, but to threaten to kill Gimli for breathing, as I was once, is unforgivable.'_

Mother unsheathed her sword and Legolas snarled wordlessly, while Thor growled, "And you dare to threaten my brother, Alf ? You are lucky that I don't end you now."

Two seconds later, he'd unsheathed a knife, cut the elf's bow-string and rested said knife on the elf's throat, "I am Loki...of the Frost." While the elf stared in shock, he smirked as a drop of blood slid down the ice-covered blade. "Who are you ?"

With an audible swallow, the elf stopped sneering, then glared at him and stated, "I am Haldir, Marchwarden of Lothlorien."

Aragorn spoke up, "Loki lower your blade. Haldir, Loki is not an orc, his appearance and the fact that he is with us must show that. What must we do to see Her Majesty ?"

Reluctantly, he did as asked, sheathing the knife and stepping back to stand beside Legolas and Thor. Golden light faded as clouds swept across the sun and Haldir replied, "I will not allow a dwarf to see the way to Caras Galadhon, either he will stay behind or he will be blind-folded."

It was Legolas who answered, "If Gimli must be blinded-folded then let us all, so that it is fair at the least."

He looked at Legolas as Haldir looked at his brothers and started talking in Sindarin. The light-blond prince nodded to him when Haldir's brothers and one of the wardens jumped into the mallorn trees. The three Silvan elves returned minutes later with plenty of blind-folds and a silver elvish rope which was enchanted to be as long as needed, like all elven ropes.

_'I could think up a **few** things to do with those.'_

Being blind-folded was nothing new, but being tied between Thor and Legolas definitely was. Simply because it was far too easy, and he wanted to get rid of his feelings for Thor, he found himself stumbling into Thor with Legolas crashing into him as a result. _'Mmm, I could do this all day. They're nice, warm and hard, well, Legolas isn't, but who knows if Thor is.'_

The only things to focus on when he wasn't having trouble staying on his feet was the sound of birds, the feeling of the silk-like elvish rope around his wrists and the feeling of movement as he was pulled foward by Thor. Besides supper, and the odd latrine break, they were kept moving and tied up until they'd been walking quite a long ways.

It didn't surprise him that when they did stop, after having been moving up a set of winding stairs, and the blind-folds were taken off they stood on an enormous platform surrounded by moonlight-silvered mallorn leaves on the edge of the forest. _'Well, it's not like they were going to take us to the capital city on the first day, that would be a bad date after all.'_

In the distance a group of something was moving towards the forest, he cast an illusion of nothing into the group's minds. As the group got closer, he saw that they were orcs and then he noticed...grey-yellow eyes. _'Hello, Valog, it's terrible to see you, again. Eaten any elves or men lately ? I wonder if he thinks 'Bani' is still alive or if the elves eventually caught up to him/me.'_

Gollum, who had followed them from far back in Moria, crept over the grass and through a stream as Haldir's brothers and some of the wardens took the task of leading the orcs away from Lothlorien. Of course, for the orcs showing up Haldir started once again eyeing him and thinking about calling him a traitor to Arda. Surprisingly, not even he, using all his jotun strength which was more than an Asgardians, could break the elvish rope.

When the marchwarden noticed his attempt, unsurprisingly Haldir tried to punch him and he ducked. A snarl of, "How can it be coincidence that orcs show up after you ?"

"How can you be so pathetic as to suspect me when the creature Gollum is afoot as well, you ugly excuse for an elf ?" Grinned because as he threw himself backward into a flip over the platform's edge Haldir swung a sword downward at him severing the rope. He levered and flipped himself back up to kick Haldir in his arrogant face.

As Haldir crashed into the mallorn's trunk, he continued, "Oh, look at that, I'm free and it's all poor Haldir's fault. Now, I am **totally** going to go run and join those orcs to get slaughtered sometime in the future."

Haldir shouted, "What are you all doing ? Go after him, **catch** him !", as the remaining wardens gave their leader confused and disbelieving looks as they eyed him just standing there innocently bound to Thor and Legolas.

Everyone who knew him started to laugh as he lifted both Haldir's and the wardens illusions. Said marchwarden stared at him in confusion before glaring. _'Oh, how I love making people look crazy, it's **so** fun.'_


	28. Galadriel

Legolas hummed as he felt Loki beside him and a hand ran over his hair. The jotun's soft voice, once again, full of mischief, "What think you of waking him ?"

A dip in the bed and Thor's deeper voice roughened, "Let him sleep if he will, now you're mine alone."

Opened his eyes to see Loki kissing Thor as a tanned hand wandered over the white-blue chest steadily downward. Respectively, red and blue-eyes moved to look at him, "Don't you just love a good wake up, Legolas ?"

It was a different, yawning voice, maybe Boromir's, that woke him, "Leg...oki, wake up. Legolas, Loki, get up or Haldir is going to dump piss on you."

The last part of the sentence had him blinking and wrinkling his nose in disgusted confusion as Loki's arm slid from around his hip. They both replied, "That's disgusting, Haldir."

While he crawled out of his bedroll, he noticed that everyone had, nearly, the same disgusted look on their face.

Boromir stage whispered, "Legolas, aren't you elves supposed to be haughty enough not to threaten to dump piss on visitors ? At least, not where they can hear you ?"

"From what I was taught yes."

Frigga called, "Haldir if you want to piss on someone just piss on them already, you arrogant prick."

Loki and Thor both, "You tell him, Mother."

Pippin burst into sniggers and high-fived Merry as Boromir and Thor smiled, while Aragorn ran a palm over his face and muttered, "I can't believe she's a queen too."

_'At least she's not a drama queen like Haldir - threaten to hang Pippin from the talan when he asked if the lighter-blond elves bleached their hair to snow white.'_

Sam wondered, "Do you think old Bill is still alive ?"

Loki got up to put a hand on the dark-blond hobbit's shoulder, "I'm sure Bill is fine, Sam, he's a smart horse. If he's not already in Imladris, he will be soon."

"Gee, you are a good help, Mr. Niss, sir."

"Loki, Sam, my name is Loki."

After a short breakfast of fruit, bread and cheese they were again tied with a new rope and blind-folded. When Pippin kept asking questions about how long it would be today because his feet were tired, as they were led down the stairs, Haldir had the red-haired hobbit gagged with the old rope.

_'He really doesn't like talkative people does he ?'_

Haldir seemed to be frightened of Loki after last night's embarrassment, but Valar was it still funny now - he'd thought Haldir would die when the wardens had looked from Loki to Haldir and back with the funniest and most confused expressions he'd ever seen. Gandalf would have loved that joke if he'd still been with them.

Besides the birds, rustle of leaves, geuninely bumbling Pippin's and affectedly not owlishly graceful Loki's, and the burbble of streams there wasn't much to listen to because the wardens were silent and Gimli was also resentfully silent back at the wardens.

It startled him when Loki's voice was right next to his ear, "Aren't you bored, Legolas ?"

_'Is this an illusion or did he really get free ?'_

"A little bit yes, why ?"

He bit back a yelp as a cool hand slid over his right hip and thigh, "Me too, don't you wish something would happen ?"

Blinked behind the blindfold when he slammed into Lok's back, every time he was oddly reminded of being on Nimroch with Loki's warmth behind him. _'I never thought that Air would be right about Loki's being interested in me. They'll want to throw a celebration when we get home...if Loki hasn't gotten sick of Middle-Earth by then and wants to go home with Thor and Frigga.'_

Haldir announced, "We have arrived.", as they were unbound once again the forest was silvered and elf-lanterns lit a spiralling staircase carved from the side of an absolutely enormous mallorn tree.

Elves walked past the tree, most staring at them for quite a while as they ascended to a great platform/throne room. It was almost frightening the thought of meeting one of the oldest elves left in Arda who had been born in and come back from Valinor in the First Age, Lady Galadriel, who had many magical gifts among them the ability to mind-speak.

The Lady and Lord of Lothlorien sat in thrones carved delicately from the tree itself. As they rose he noticed that Lady Galadriel had pale-skin and long, light-golden hair, while Lord Celeborn also had pale-skin, but silver-blond hair, they both wore white robes.

Galadriel smiled, her voice was silvery and soothing, "Welcome to our home, I am Galadriel, this is my husband Celeborn and it is our joy to have you."

Celeborn's eyes were shrewd as they drifted over the group of hobbits, men, asgardians, one elf and one jotun. "I see strangers amongst the Fellowship and the Protector, but yet there is no Gandalf. Where is he ? He wished to speak with me of a matter."

It was Thor who stepped foward and bowed, "The wizard Gandalf was lost in darkness as he fought the great beast called Balrog."

The Lady's face turned serious and her voice took an edge as she stepped forward, "You wish to continue forward for Gandalf and yet you all have your doubts that you will be unable to continue without his guidance. You are afraid that without him you will falter and why should you doubt this as you stand on the edge between victory and utter failure. The edge where every choice may change the history of many Worlds for good or ill."

Galadriel walked first to Frodo to stop in front of him, a few seconds later Frodo nodded and the Lady continued down the line slowly coming towards himself and Loki.

When she stopped in front of him, he couldn't help being nervous as the impossibly ancient blue-grey eyes landed on him.

_"You love Loki and wish that he would stay, but you know that eventually he would miss Asgard. You hoped that Gandalf would help you persaude him to stay. A noble feat it would have been had it succeeded, but he even more than Frodo is courting disaster with the Ring. You know that every night it weakens his will, but soon I fear that Loki will be able to resist no longer...if he fails you must make your choice, son of Thranduil, and I pray you choose wisely."_

As he turned his head to meet Loki's gaze, his heartbeat raced in fear and anxiety.


	29. Dream

Loki took a deep breath, exhilaration flooded through his veins as Father's body fell to join Boromir and Glam's dead at his feet. Thor screamed, "How could you ?!", as the handsome dark-blond prince rushed at him.

How easy it was to deflect Mjolnir with his spear and punch Thor. The Asgardian went flying to be impaled by an orcish blade. _'A frosty reception, but no one can stop me ! **No one !** They will bow before me or die like Frodo.'_

Asgard burned as he laughed, a hand landed on his shoulder, he spun to thrust the spear into...Legolas. _'What am I doing ? **What am I doing ?!** No, no, no, Norns, no !'_

Yet another out of body experience, as he let go of the spear and flung off the Ring to catch Legolas. Those beautiful grey-eyes blinked once before they dimmed and closed. His anguished screams echoed into empty air as Skuld's disappointed, silver and ruby-eyes stared down at him before she vanished.

He woke shaking as Legolas looked down at him, found himself clutching the elven-prince muttering, "No, no, I don't want to, I don't want to !" and "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

A pale hand slid over his back as Legolas answered softly, "You won't and you know why ?"

Sniffed while he looked around the white-cloth tent and shook his head. _'How can I resist when every night it wears me down ? I can't handle it, I'm not strong enough. I-if I give in, this could fail all because of me.'_

Legolas' hand kept stroking his back as the elf replied, "It will **never** touch you because you're **stronger** than it, Loki ! You've resisted it for over a month and Mordor isn't so far away, now. The Ring will be gone before we know it, trust me, love." The next words slightly teasing, "You do trust me don't you ?"

"Of course, Legolas." Lips brushed against his with a faint smile that he couldn't help but return. "D-do you think we can find the library now ?"

The elf nodded, brushed away his tears and let him go, before he got up to wash his face in the basin then get dressed.

Two hours of searching later they found the library. Some time later, if he hadn't just laid the soft, silver and ruby leather-bound book embossed with a seven-rayed star on the cover, on the table he would have dropped it. The silver-lighted lamp lit the illuminated page brilliantly and he choked, "Leg-Legolas, c-come here and look at this. T-tell me I'm not dreaming."

_'This, this shouldn't be possible. I may not understand Sindarin or Elvish runes, but I don't need to for this or I should hope not considering that I've known her my whole life.'_

Legolas put his book away then walked over from beside a mahogany shelf. The light-blond elf ran a hand through his hair as he looked down at the book.

Grey-eyes widened and the elf's mouth dropped open, "You're not dreaming, but how ? S-she, this is **over** ten thousand years old how can she still be alive ?! She can't-" Legolas trailed off in shock. 

_'All those little hints over the years about Arda. W-what if it's not the Norns or not just the Norns who are...? What if **Mother** is one of those Maiar or Valar too ? That's the only way her knowing about the Ring tempting me more than any one else, especially when she wasn't even here, makes sense.'_

All he could do was nod, "I know, but how else does it make sense ? It explains why she got on so well with Gandalf if she already knew him because she was a Maia or Vala. Well also it would explain how Gandalf knew **of** Odin, but didn't know my father personally."

Before anything else could be said a beautiful and sad elvish song filled the air. "What are they singing, Legolas ?"

"I-it's a lament for Gandalf, they knew him even longer than I. Still the first time I met him, oh Valar, I was terrified of him. Even Mother could hardly get me to speak to him so great was my fear. One year, he made a grand firework to honour my mother...it would be nice if we could do the same for him."

That was when he had an idea, "Perhaps we could ask Lady Galadriel, Mother, Frodo and Aragorn to help us make one. He would like that wouldn't he ? It would help everyone else as well."

Carefully, he placed the book back in its spot and memorized it, the questions for Mother could wait for now. _'How I wish Gandalf were still alive, but we don't know how deep that chasm was and even if we did the balrog could have killed him any ways. Oh Skuld surely you could show us were he truly gone ? We have to know...sometime, somehow, we must know. Please let his death be but a terrible dream, please.'_


	30. Gifts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Combining the gifts that the Fellowship got in both books and movies.

Legolas said, "Can you believe Acharn and Air are coming ?" as he ducked under Loki's spear-thrust, to rise spinning and slashing down with his long-knives. Their friends would be coming down the Anduin and crossing the Gladden Fields to reach Lothlorien.

The force when Loki blocked jarred him and he stared at the six-foot long, white mallorn-wood spear that Galadriel had given his love earlier. Loki smiled and replied, "I know, besides the fact we get to see them again, they are also bringing some firework powder from that Dale township."

His gaze darted across the training platform to his own gift - a mallorn-wood, long bow of the Galadhrim - resting against a branch beside Thor who watched them.

**Flashback**

Frodo had recieved a vial of the star Earendil's light, Sam an elvish rope and the seed of a mallorn tree, whilst Boromir had gotten a solid gold belt made as linked mallorn leaves. Merry and Pippin were given silver belts with golden-leaf claspes and silver daggers as Aragorn got an emerald set in a silver eagle shaped brooch with a curved elvish hunting knife from Celeborn.

Now, Galadriel walked up to him, holding out the beautiful bow and quiver, "Prince Legolas, you have used the long bow of Mirkwood, the bow of your grandfather for many years, but perhaps by now you wish to make your own history."

_'I want to keep using Grandfather's, and my, bow, but if it gets wrecked then a piece of Greenwood/Mirkwood's history is gone forever. This one it has no such illustrious history to weep for should an orc break it. Also it is a beautiful bow in its own right.'_

He bowed before accepting the bow first, running his hands wonderingly along the curved length before looking to its string and staring. When he looked up, he managed to say, "I cannot thank you enough for the honour, my Lady. Truly this will be a great bow if only for its string being of your hair until I bring it to its proper use."

The Lady of Light smiled at him, before she turned to take a spear from its bearer. She, once again, turned to walk and presented the spear with much pride to Loki. "Loki Niss, not long have you been in this World, but already you have started to help change it for the better. I would you take this spear in replacement for the one that was broken in protecting the Ring-bearer, to look on and draw strength from it as a reminder of all things great both new and old; may it serve you well."

Loki, who had just been to the healer for his arrow wound before they had been summoned here and was in his black-tunic instead of his armour which still needed mending, bowed and took the spear. The jotun backed away to test it with a few swift and near silent swings and thrusts before saying, "It has a good balance, it will indeed serve me well. I thank you, Lady Galadriel, not only for this weapon, but also for your words."

They all were given after silver elven cloaks whose brooches were green leaves veined with silver, "When you continue your journey, shall you wear these hooded and unfriendly eyes lay upon you hard put will they be to find you."

  **End Flashback**

Taken his distraction to heart, Loki slammed the horizontal spear forward and he managed to flip, landing smoothly on his feet. Confused as Loki made many illusions of himself and he was trying to figure out which, if any of them, was the real one as they advanced on him.

As he was already moving, Thor called, "Behind you to the right."

Thor and himself were both wrong and he froze as Loki was behind him with the spear-shaft held tightly under his chin. From the rise and fall of the jotun's chest Loki's breathing was heavy, but it didn't sound laboured at all, "Are you ready to give up ?"

While Loki hadn't gotten tired, he was and he nodded, "For now, I am, but I'll beat you next time."

Soft laughter in his ear as Loki's lips brushed his right ear-tip, before the black-haired jotun moved away, "Very well, we'll see my dear. Thor did you want to come with me ? I'm going to ask Mother about something important."

He left the center of the platform to pick up his bow and quiver as Thor approached Loki. Turned and watched as the two walked away down the curving staircase. _'The only thing to truly wonder is did Frigga lie to Odin and Thor as well about who she is ? To all of Asgard ? I almost want to go with, but this is a family affair.'_


	31. Lies

Thor couldn't help wondering just what Loki wanted to talk to Mother about. Mostly because Loki was, to him, at least, looking very upset and he'd had a book shoved into his arms when they'd stopped by the library briefly. As they walked along one of the bridges between the platforms Boromir approached them.

Red-eyes darkened in annoyance as the heir of the Steward asked, "Is something wrong, Loki ?"

Loki's voice turned clipped, "Not for you, excuse us, friend Boromir."

The light-brown haired man's face took a worried look upon itself, but Boromir moved aside for them. _'Did he learn something terrible about the connection between Asgard and Arda ? Why will he not speak ?'_

When he looked behind them it was to a rather hilarious sight - Alfar were slipping on a long trail of glistening ice and slamming into each other - of high note was the proud marchwarden Haldir suddenly grabbing onto a larger, black-haired alf so as not to fall. 

Found himself holding in a chuckle as he followed Loki. A while later when they reached an area without any Alfar, and out of sight of Mother's tent; he pulled his brother aside under the golden leaves shadow, "Tell me if you will, why are we going to talk to Mother ?"

Loki's mouth opened then shut as he snarled, before ice twined around the branch beside them. White-blue fingers clenched and Loki's knuckles turned fully white, as those eyes blazed Loki did indeed look like Laufey.

His free hand ended up on Loki's nape pulling him closer. Something new was the thought of, _'He really is prettier than Jane, **far** prettier. Though I do miss those emerald eyes sometimes. Even with these ruby ones, he could never look the monster Father told me he was when yet we were young.'_ , and unconsciously stroking the black-hair. "Just try once."

A sharp head shake and Loki folded his arms before he moved away and strode towards Mother's tent. Avoided the ice as he entered the tent, Mother looked up at them her brown-hair was loose about her shoulders and she wore a light-blue robe, "Did you need something, boys ?"

Half-turned to look at Loki who looked outraged at Mother's calmness, "Why did you lie ?"

His question of, "Lie ? What lie ?", was ignored as Loki started shouting.

"Why, Mother, why ?! Why to **me** of all beings ? I told you **everything** ! Absolutely everything and what do I get in return ? **Lies, over a thousand years of lies** ! You never told me who I was and now, now, as if that were not horrible enough, I find that you lied about who you are as well. Does Thor know, does **Father** know ?!"

Loki's anger caused the mahogany armour-chest on the floor to split itself with a great crack, the clay wash basin beside it to explode and the tent pegs to rattle. It was surprising to him when only the right side of the tent shredded itself.

_'Hmm, he hasn't done much of that will things to explode or destroy themselves lately. He's angry obviously, but why ? What does he mean Mother lied about who she was ? **How** could she have lied ?'_

When Mother sighed and said, "I should have known when Elrond said that the Norns sent you here, that you would find out eventually; you always have been smarter than most Asgardians and especially as you also had Legolas' help."

That made him again ask his question, "What does he mean ? What lie, w-why would you do that to us ? M-mother ?!", reflexively, he started reaching for Mjolnir. Before he tightened his grip on the book instead.

Mother's blue-grey eyes were filled with regret and hope, "I lied to your father, Thor, when I said I was from Vanaheim. I lied about many things and I hated to do it, but I had to, if only to do my duties - my name among the Valar is Beria Pan, Protector of All."

_'How can Mother be one of the most powerful beings in the universe and I never knew ? What, what does that make me ? This can't be true, this is insane !'_

He shook his head in denial, "How can that be true ? What proof is there ?"

That had Loki pulling the book from his arms to open it to a page and hand it back to him, "This, Thor, this is your proof !"

No matter that he wanted to as he turned the book around to look, he couldn't deny that the illustration was indeed of Mother. Slowly, he lifted his head to stare at her and the book dropped to the floor as Loki started to pace about.

Mother bit her lip, sitting down on the floor to continue a few seconds later, "I want to explain how Asgard came to be as it ties directly into both of you. Now, when Varda and the others went down into Arda, Eru Illuvatar sent me to sing into being Yggdrasil and the Nine Worlds. The first World I visited was named Asgard in the new tongue, a variant on the Sindarin Elvish word 'Asgar' which means 'Violent'. Never did I guess how appropriate that name would become, nor how familiar. I was to tend to all nine of those Worlds and I did my best, then one day I met Odin as I was checking on Vanaheim. That was when the first lie came into being, that I was from Vanaheim, that I had Vanir family. Slowly, between my duties, I found myself going to visit him more and more often. Eventually, realizing that I loved him and many years later, we were married and that's when you happened Thor and you were amazing."

_'D-does this mean I'm part-vala ? Of both Asgardian and Valar blood ? As relieved as I am that I can't beat Loki easily, does not my being part-vala mean that I should be able to easily ? Why did Mother think she had to hide this from us ?'_

Slowly, Mother got up to put her hands on his shoulders, "My firstborn son, the day after you were born the Norns came to me, and they told me that if the son of Laufey of Jotunheim was not saved from all early deaths a terrific doom was very likely to fall on all the Worlds. Thus it was that I persuaded Odin to go to Jotunheim, to find you, to protect you, Loki." The next words caused Mother to close her eyes as she let go of him, "I didn't go into this thinking that I would lie so much to everyone that I would love as my family. And I felt truly terrible for lying to you just like everyone else was, Loki, but I needed to protect you. Even from yourself because I thought you would hate yourself...and you did until you met Legolas. Now, I swear that unless Eru himself says I must, my **sons** , I will lie no more to either of you."

Himself and Loki stared at one another as the jotun had stopped his pacing. He was in too much shock to think of anything to say.

As Loki had figured this was possible before he had questions, "Mother, what are the Norns ? Are they truly Jotnar or do they just take that form because they wish ?"

Mother answered, "The Norns are only Maiar, but like any maia or vala they have their preferred forms. They are the most powerful Maiar in all of the Nine Worlds. They are able to manipulate time, to tell the past, present and futures that can change on a whim and to do many things that other Maiar cannot - like sending a jotun to Arda to try to save as many lives as possible."

_'To save as many lives as possible ? To help Loki get used to himself and regain his honour at the same time. Do I wish to know what would have happened had Father not saved Loki ? No, no I do not.'_

Dimly aware of it, he bent to pick up the book and was relieved that it was still intact. Very much it surprised him that he didn't pass out.


	32. Reason

As he started on his way out, Loki heard the Ring whispering, _"You don't need her, Loki. She lied to you about everything and she's just going to **keep** lying. It'll never stop unless you kill her and Frodo. They're working together - she lies and he's plotting to kill you so that you can't take what you deserve - **me**. Come, it wouldn't take long and you'd be free from all their lies and manipulation...forever. There would be no more worrying that when Frodo distracts you that Aragorn, or Thor, is going to try to steal Legolas from you. Give in and let me help you - I promise you won't have any more worries after."  
_

Mother protested, "Loki, wait !"

_'Just kill her ? Why not ? It's not like Thor can stop me, it would be so easy. After all if she can have the excuse of - I had to protect you to protect everyone else - simply because, of course, I have no value by myself - why do I have to have a reason. Really, do you think I'll listen to you after **that** !'_

Didn't stop walking to snarl, "Fuck you, Mother.", as he snatched the book from Thor's unresponsive fingers. Those honest, bright-blue eyes were still shocked as he stalked out of the tent. Frodo stood a few feet away on one of the bridges before backing out of sight.

Ignored the calls that followed after him and the elves that quickly moved out of his way. A bit later, he ended up in the silver-walled library glaring at the book on the dark table-top. It caused him to flinch as a screech echoed through the empty room when a chair was pulled out and Boromir sat down across from him.

The Steward's heir wondered, "Now that you have not only Legolas, but also Thor and Frigga turning Lothlorien upside-down looking for you, friend Loki. Will you tell me what is wrong ?"

As the anger suddenly faded he ran his fingers through his hair, sighing when he said, "Mother lied about who she was, Boromir. She's a vala, supposedly she is the 'Protector of All'. I think they left off part of her title, 'At Loki's Expense.' This isn't fair, she saved me because she **had** to, because it was her duty or Worlds would have died. Does no one here care just because of myself ?"

Boromir too stared at him, then responded, "There's Legolas, of course, who loves you. Merry, Pippin, Sam, Frodo and myself, even Aragorn...Gandalf, we care about you because we are your friends, your brothers in battle and beyond. I know that I too would be shocked to learn what you have, but indeed she **does** care about you as more than a duty, Loki. Look at when she met you in Moria with Thor, could she have feigned that affection so well that even you, the God of Mischief and Lies, could not tell ? You may not agree, but I think not."

_'He's not supposed to make logical statements. He's supposed to get angry along with me, Nornsdammit. The one time I want someone to get angry and I can't make them. She lied and now I know how everyone else feels. How can I believe anything that she says now ? The Ring is just making this even harder than it normally would be.'_

He laid his head on the book, he might have wanted Mother's honesty, but he certainly wasn't appreciating Boromir's, "It's just, my **whole** life from when I was a babe to when I fell into Mirkwood and now even my reasons for being here has turned out to be a single gigantic lie. Now, it's harder than ever to resist the Ring. I know that Mother can't have faked everything, but its trying to turn me against her and Frodo. I nearly gave in to it, Boromir, I almost justified killing her !"

Slowly, he lifted his head and got up to put the book away, before going back to the table. He sat down as the blue-eyed man nodded in understanding, "It's getting harder for me as well. I nearly gave in so many times on the way here. The Ring keeps telling me that if I kill Frodo it will make my father understand. A-and that if I take it, it will make Gondor glorious again. Reasonably, we both know that it lies, but still its grip grows ever stronger. At least, had Faramir gone in my place he wouldn't have fallen under its spell as he's far stronger than I."

The sound of rushing feet filled the hallway outside then Legolas silently and Thor noisily, entered the library. How he loved the sound of them saying his name simultaneously, "Loki !" then, "Are you all right ?", as they rushed up to the table. Light- and darker-blond hair was slightly tousled, just like the pale- and tanned-skin was equally flushed.

Embarrassed, he replied, "I am, I just...first Gandalf dies and now I find out about Mother. This is just really hard at the moment."

_'I have to resist for my friends, for Legolas and Thor. Legolas thinks that I'm strong enough, so does Galadriel. I am Protector of the Ring-bearer and I will protect Frodo from anyone, even me, **especially** me !'_


	33. Anduin

Legolas was worried as he looked from down the far bank of the Anduin, which looked plain with its only green-leaved and pine trees, to Loki who stood beside him waiting with Thor. The jotun wore a black cloak that he'd gotten from Beorn, along with a silver-tunic and a pair of black-leather pants. While Thor was wearing a short-sleeved, dark-green under-tunic and dark-grey pants.

Loki ran a hand through his loose, and now truly past shoulder-length, hair, to ask impatiently, "Legolas can you see them, yet ?"

He nodded as he backed up slightly, "Yes, they're coming. Rosroch, Timbelin too, while Varr is carrying the powder. Nimroch is carrying extra supplies and packs."

Uncharacteristically, Loki jumped into the air with a whoop, before landing and walking down the bank to cover the area in front of them in thick ice. All that while himself and Thor turned and shared a worried look.

Three days had passed since Loki, Thor, himself and the rest of the Fellowship had found out about Frigga's being Beria; three days since Loki had deigned to look at Frigga, much less talk to her, no matter how many times they'd tried to get them too.

_'Avoiding her can't be healthy and he might not want to show it, but even he can't hide how hurt he is all the time. Surely, Frigga can find some way to make him listen for a few minutes.'_

Varr was the first horse across the ice with Nimroch right behind him. When she got onto the bank Nimroch ran up to nuzzle his cheek, before he patted her mane. Slowly, he slid his hand down her side as he moved to start untying and unloading the extra supplies.

As he put down the third pack, Thor was beside him throwing one over his shoulder when Air asked, "You, you're Loki's brother, Odinson aren't you ?"

Like himself, the two tan-skinned elves were still wearing their dark-green tunics and brown-leggings.

It amused him that Thor even had to ask,"You told them as well of me, Loki ? He told you of **me** ?", when the Asgardian prince should have known the answer.

_'Of course he did, Loki's still in love with you. Like Loki said, Thor may not be the smartest at times, but it's not hard to see why one would fall for him. When someone needs help, like with that fire yesterday in one of the lower talans, Thor is one of the first to arrive. He was also quite handy with Mjolnir and summoning the rain, it hurts not that he also is very endearing in it as well.'_

Loki and the black-haired, hazel-eyed elf responded at the same time, "I did." and, "Yes, yes, Odinson, indeed he did." with a laugh from Air at the end of his answer.

Air, who was helping Loki to unload the firework powder, turned briefly to look at Thor to continue his questions, "You're an Asgardian are you not ?"

He and Loki both tensed as they waited for Thor to respond. Himself because he was wondering how Loki would react, while Loki likely had just to find out how Thor thought of their mother now.

Tried to distract himself by picking up one of the packs before the response of, "Put simply yes, I am.", came from Thor.

Air looked disappointed at the simplicity of the answer, but obviously catching a glimpse of Loki's expression, whatever it was, made him drop the inquiry.

Acharn trying to difuse the situation smiled, "Hello, Legolas, thy father sends his greetings with Mirkwood's well-wishes and blessings."

He returned the dark-blond and green-eyed elf's smile, "It's nice to see you all again, Acharn. How did Father react to the news of Loki's falling in on our party ?"

"Surprisingly well, considering that Glam was still being an ass and telling King Thranduil the same tired story he told us."

_'I almost completely forgot about Glam since Aragorn stopped acting like him. Now, I know that Father will have been smart enough to dismiss Glam's theory without seeing Loki. I'm surprised that Glam didn't come with to continue his tirad. How I would have loved to see the look on his face when he saw Thor and that Loki wasn't just some lying spawn of Sauron.'_

After that all four of them made small talk for a little bit more. At least, until Thor and himself turned to bring the supplies to the Fellowship's camp as Air and Acharn had agreed. It was only Frigga and Thor, what with their being neither of the Fellowship or the Protector as Loki was, that got their own tents farther away up on a talan.

The Fellowship's camp was on a rise, the tents were arranged in a circle around the fire-pit. Sam sat beside the fire, looked up from his mallorn seed to say, "Hullo Legolas, Thor. Where's Loki ? Is he still with those friends of yours ? Even for him, he seems down, I don't like it **one** bit and neither does Mr. Frodo."

Unshouldered the pack on the far right side from the fire, "He is still with them, yes.", he and Thor looked up at each other. "Did we just ? ...Ah, so, we did."

Pippin popped his head out of his and Merry's tent, it was on the left end of the circle, "Are you having mimicking contests again ? Oo, can I join ?" In reference to the contest of two days ago when he, Boromir, Thor and Loki had taken to mimicking their fathers, in Loki's case both of his fathers.

The simultaneity wore off as he said, "No, it's not a contest." and Thor said, "We aren't, right Legolas ?"

"We definitely aren't."

As he hadn't been paying attention to Thor's actual movements, just Thor's very nice voice, it startled him when a pack suddenly thudded to the ground next to him. Instinctively, he jumped backward trying to get away and unsheath his long-knives only to slam into Thor. After he remembered that, of course, the pack wasn't a threat he blushed slightly. Then he moved away from Thor and started to turn around. Only to get his foot caught in one of the pack's wayward straps, thus pulling him off-balance. But, before he could correct himself, Thor's arms had already slid under his arms to catch him. His blush darkened as he stared at Thor waiting for the Asgardian to release him, who didn't, only to stare back for a second.

Thor muttered, his deep, warm voice sounding both faintly amused and yet serious, "I don't usually have Alfar falling over me. Still, the fact that Loki loves you proves you are not yet an ordinary alf." More softly, so that it was more lip-reading than actual words, "How lucky you are, **both**."

_'I thought he just might have feelings for Loki, but me ? I've known him for about a week now. How can he have feelings for me in that amount of time ?'_

Even more embarrassed, he untangled himself before, once again, pushing himself off Thor's chest. In that slightly awkward silence, the two returned to the banks of the Anduin. Only to find that Acharn and Air had gone taking Rosroch, Timbelin and Nimroch with them. By unspoken agreement he and Thor stayed in the trees as they saw Loki, stood in silence beside Frigga, brushing Varr on the bank.

_'Did they talk or are they going to ? Lady Ninnea, Lord Mandos, please have mercy and let them start talking again.'_


	34. Listen

Loki was brushing Varr's neck between the darker red mane and slightly lighter body fur, wondering, _'Why are those leaved trees still green ? They long ago should have discolored and fallen off, like those ones farther down by the field of Celebrant have. It must be some sort of elf-magic.'_ , and startled when Mother disillusioned herself right beside him.

A small, vindictive part of him liked the way Mother flinched when he asked, "Here on yet **another** duty are you, Mother ?" as he kept brushing Varr moved away. He moved trying to keep up with the roan, before Varr chose to fall on him and they thudded onto the bank. _'Damned Hel-bound horse, why are you being difficult ?'_   Snarled as he shoved the horse back up-right while climbing to his feet. 

The Anduin's waves were tiny, but rapid as they slapped the shore pushed by a sharp, steady and, to others, likely cold breeze. Branches rustled as Mother shook her head and she reached out, then pulled her hand back.

A second passed before she said, "No, no, I am most definitely not. I'm **sorry** , Loki, so sorry ! I, when I said that I wasn't thinking about how I phrased it. I never meant to imply that you were just a duty to me, you **never** were and never will be. You're my baby just as much as Thor was, you have always been my favourite, my little boy and Eru knows it's my fault your life has so terrible a story attached to it. I relied too much on Thor's protecting you from all the taunting and bullying to teach you to protect yourself. It's my fault that you started hating yourself because you thought you were weaker then them. I-I thought if you could impress them with your magic they'd be too scared to go after you. Of course, I was so very wrong. Again, I'm sorry and I was an absolutely terrible mother to you."

_'How can she say she was terrible ? She was never anything of the sort. At least, not intentionally, when I actually was growing up.'_

That made him turn to look wonderingly at her and for the first time he saw his Mother cry. Put the brush down before moving to brush a hand over Mother's cheek, only to pull his hand away as the tears immediately started freezing and quickly wrapping both hands in his cloak-ends.

Ironically, it was Mother reaching out to cup his cheek as he replied, "Apology accepted, but you **weren't** terrible, Mother, far from it. Without you things would have ended much worse - if it had just been Thor, Father and myself I would have ended up shut in my room because no one would have understood me. Also, I never would have learned magic because Father would have been so focused on Thor that I would have basically not existed. Back to what actually happened, Mother, if you hadn't relied on Thor to protect me, I never would have had to perfect my illusions and magic, I never would have become the God of Mischief. Had I never become proficient at magic and illusions the Fellowship could have ended before it began because Legolas would have been eaten by Valog."

Unconsciously, they'd both moved to sit on the ground like it was one of his magic lessons. Mother's hand slid up to run through his hair, "My luck is good today that you are so understanding. You don't know how many times I wanted to tell you the truth about everything, but if you had found you were a jotun while growing up...I was scared that it wouldn't be just you hating yourself, but Thor and I didn't want to ruin your closeness."

_'Sif was already ruining it by leaving me to die and not telling Thor about it ! He only found out by the time I would have died, I hate those ass-eating bilgesnipes.'_

He closed his eyes trying to relax again, trying to regain control of his emotions and ice. Birds twittered as a flock swooped by overhead, for a second it was almost like being back in Mother's garden behind the palace. Unwrapped his hands from his cloak and it was then that twigs snapped. So, he twisted to see Thor and Legolas looking slightly uneasy together, walking out of the trees.

_'Were they listening or is there some other reason they look so uncomfortable ?'_

Legolas threw himself into a roll past and behind Thor to leap up and catch Varr's reins as the horse tried to run away. Thor walked up to them, "Are you still going to avoid each other now, Mother, Loki ?"

They answered in unison, "No, we're not."

 A familiar, lightning-bright smile from Thor and his own again fluttering heart-beat. Just like yesterday after they had stopped the fire.

**Flashback**

It confused him slightly when rain-drops started dripping from the leaves far above causing the fire in front of him to sizzle. The drops caused him to look up and that was when he saw the grey smoke. Just as Mjolnir and Thor landed on the ground the fire guttered out in the, somehow drenched, middling-blond prince's wake.

"Thor, what is going on ?"

"We need your help, Loki. There's a fire on one of the platforms. The leaves are too thick for the rain I summoned to reach it and both the Celebrant and Anduin are too far away." 

"What are we waiting for ?"

Apparently that was what Thor had been waiting for, because he was suddenly being one-handedly pulled out of his seat and very tightly against Thor's chest. Blue-eyes were brighter with worry and he wished he had his helmet with as they were crashing through branches to reach the burning talan.

Thanks to Thor's directing the wind the smoke wasn't a problem, but the fire had consumed part of the talan and the house on it. _'Norns, this is hot ! Even with Thor's rain will I be able to make any ice with all this fire ?'_

He crouched and put a hand on the branch willing the water in it to freeze. Only a barely noticable frost covered the area in front of him just like with the balrog, it melted right away. His cry of, "It's not enough !", was cut off by his choking on smoke as a hot, stiff wind came from the opposite direction.

_'What is this ? An accident or more magic of Saruman ? Curse the wizard to my little Hel and her Helheim ! She could use more souls and his would be a boon to get taken off our hands. If only Jormungandr were here, as a sea-serpent shapeshifter he could likely strengthen this rain with his own water magic.'_

His wishes for two of his three children were further emphasized when the smoke thickened again. Peered through the smoke, trying to freeze what little water was in the smoke. More branches fell and then there was a downpour of rain as elves raced up with water-buckets. Through everything he noticed one was Legolas.

Finally, finally there was enough water on the wood for him to freeze out the fire. When it was out he callopsed on the smoke-darkened wood from the heat and exhaustion as Thor smiled.

**End Flashback**

Legolas approached with Varr while skirting around Thor, "I am also glad that you're talking again. Might I ask what happened to Air and the others ?"

He answered, "They went to put Nimroch, Timbelin and Rosroch away before going to exchange pleasantries with Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn."

Mother and Thor went to put Varr into the stables, while himself and Legolas went back to camp. _'I hope the fireworks will be ready soon, it'll be nice to see.'_


	35. Drunk

Stood in the field with everyone else, Legolas smiled at the simultaneous, "Hail Gandalf." from Acharn and Air that accompanied the fireworks that were exploding in the starry sky above Lothlorien.

Loki mumured, "Fair thee well." at the same time and leaned against him, he looked over at Aragorn who was pre-occupied with something.

He was surprised when it was Haldir who started passing out drinks and watched in even more surprise as the marchwarden approached Loki without hesitation, after which the jotun accepted the drink with a nod. _'It must be Loki's having helped to put out the fire. I remember them talking, but Loki looked so exhausted. Does he even remember talking to Haldir ?'_

**Flashback**

Turned his gaze from Thor to Loki who was being helped up by...Haldir ? Those red-eyes looked dazed as Haldir asked, "Niss ? Niss, are you terribly wounded ?"

Loki sounded almost drunken as he asked, "No, would you like were I, O Marchwarden ?"

"Mithrandir would not and after seeing what I did, I must agree with him."

 Already he had started approaching them when Loki asked, "Mithrandir ? Who is Mithrandir ?"

One of Haldir's eyebrows rose and the marchwarden said, "Gandalf, he ha...d many names, of which Mithrandir was one."

"What does that mean again ?"

Himself and Haldir both responded, "Grey pilgrim."

Loki's skin looked more white now than white-blue, likely Loki was near fainting. Also, it seemed that exhaustion made his love more talkative, "Gandalf is better, he might not have been alfar, but he had a staff for Nornssake. Skuld and Gandalf would have known each other well...I miss Gandalf."

Haldir nodded, "I as well, he was quite the influence here in Lorien. He did a great many good deeds."

"Valhalla will take him, the others won't kill him even once ! He's a better wizard than I, far better than I. Legolas, why do you still have a bucket ? Haldir isn't going to throw piss on me is he ?"

"No, no I am not."

Dropped the bucket to catch Loki as he started to fall and Thor came up as the rain stopped, "Legolas, we should take him to the healer."

Thor felt it nessecary to help position Loki further into his arms.

**End Flashback**

When Haldir moved a bit closer he accepted his own drink, before the darker-blond elf moved on. More fireworks flew into the air as he and Loki started on their drinks.

Air wandered over, "Legolas, I wish Glam would get eaten by that Valog. I mean, even orcs have to eat, right ?"

He smiled as he took a deeper drink then said, "Yes, they do, but are you sure Glam wouldn't give Valog stomach upset ?"

"I'm sure he would very much, it'd be for a good cause though."

All three of them laughed, then there was the sound of something shattering.

Loki shook his head, "Thor is smashing things again."

Air wondered, "Isn't that everything that he does ? Didn't you say all the Asgardians like to destroy things ?"

 "Most of the time yes."

After a few more cups everything blurred together.

Slowly, he blinked awake to see a very different Loki than he was used to see not the elvish-form from Beorn's cottage, but a new form - a man-form. It was odd to see Loki's skin being elvish-pale instead of white-blue and his eyes were emerald-green as they opened.

_'Still kind of pretty, but I prefer his red-eyes. His eyes are prettier than any fireworks no matter the color.'_

A softly mumbled, "Thor ?" from Loki made him turn over.

The Asgardian was asleep, darker-blond hair messed and the tanned chest was covered in...bite marks ?

_'I got half-drunk I know that much, but did I bite him or Loki ? Or was it both of us ?'_

**Flashback**

Grinned as Thor just ripped apart the blue tunic, "This, who needs this ?"

Someone called, "I want it ! I want it !"

A different someone, through the blur it looked like Celeborn, "What do you want ? Thor or the tunic ?"

" **Thor !** " was the roar from near everyone.

Loki roared back, "You **can't** have him, Alfar, he belongs to me ! **Me** !"

He walked up to Thor, putting an arm around the hard shoulders and blinked when they fell over. Blue-eyes stared at him, "You have pretty eyes, Legolas."

"You have lovely nipples, Thor."

Hands started pulling at him and Thor, before Loki thudded into them and a white-blue hand trailed over Thor's chest. Watched the two transfixed as they kissed deeply, then Thor yelped as Loki tweaked his right nipple as they seperated.

Just for something to do, he leaned down to start licking at Thor's right obliques, when Loki ran a hand over the Asgardian's thigh, the darker-blond jerked and then there were teeth-marks.

_'Needs more, mine, Loki.'_

**End Flashback**

Blushed as, _'Okay, so some of the biting was me, still it doesn't look like he was ever bleeding...or, at least, it's not visible now. So, either nothing happened or it was no one's first.'_ , entered his head.

It was a Valar sent blessing when Aragorn called, "Get up, we leave Lothlorien today for Rauros."

Rauros being named in full the Falls of Rauros that were the end of their route in the wilderness before they were to enter Rohan. Of course, he took the opportunity to get up, pull his tunic from on the floor and stare at Loki. His love who had reverted to his true-form and who was just staring at Thor.

Shook himself and then just walked out of the tent. _'I'll pack later, much later when Thor isn't around. No matter what happened last night, just focus on the Falls.'_


	36. Boat

Loki, as he and Legolas waved a last good-bye to Acharn and Air, couldn't help being glad that Thor had taken Mother and flown to the Falls to prepare the camp for the rest of them. _'Of course, only this morning did Mother decide to mention that she had picked some blom stiarna from near the space-ship. Thor is lucky he didn't get frost-bite anywhere last night.'_

**Flashback**

It really was quite enjoyable to annoy Thor at the moment for himself and Legolas, at least. Legolas moaned into their kiss and pressed himself against Thor's stomach.

Thor panted, "Make up...your mind, **Lo-ki**." as he leaned back from Legolas to look down at Thor. If possible those eyes were even better darkened in desire.

His reply was a short, "Oh, I already have."

Slowly, he ran his hands through Thor's hair, to stroke broad shoulder-blades before moving closer and pressing his lips against the tanned neck. Almost silence, then a rough gasp followed a twitching shudder.

**End Flashback**

_'Well, at the very least, it stopped Thor's calling me brother for once. I'm surprised and offended that he wasn't embarrassed after waking up with me. I mean, it is definitely not every morning that you wake up in bed with your formerly adopted-brother having fucked you.'_

**Flashback**

The tent-flap rustled as Legolas pushed his way outside, Thor stirred and sleepily rumbled, "Time to go, b-Loki ?"

Unnerved by the calm he replied, as he rolled off the top of his bedroll, "Yes, it is."

Got dressed and pulled on his armour while wondering, _'Why is he acting so blase about this ? Did he act so blase when he called me a fucked cow behind my back ?  Where is the anger that Thor showed when Fandral implied that he was a cow ? Right, it was nowhere to be seen because then it was a joke. Because I'm a joke and he's not in Asgard's eyes._ '

The blond started to get dressed and then asked, "What happened to my tunic ?"

"You tore it to bits in a drunken rage about not needing tunics."

**End Flashback**

He shook himself from his memories, while the white-swan boat was pulled into the Anduin's current away from Lothlorien. Then looked down at Gimli who was sat in the middle, nervously eyeing the elf-boat's side like it was going to tip.

Just to be helpful, he made an illusion of the walls of Moria in Gimli's mind. Almost immediately the brown-red bearded dwarf relaxed and said, "You're quite the boon to have 'round, Master Jotun."

"I am just glad to have a use, Master Dwarf. Right, Legolas ?"

"Indeed, Loki. Gimli did you know that Loki befriended an orc once ?"

"An orc ? How exactly does one go about making friends with an orc ?" The should have been joke of, "Murdering trees and eating elves ?"

That got a shudder from him, unconsciously ending Gimli's illusion, as it reminded Legolas and himself about Valog's words concerning the eating of elves and horses.  As the dwarf saw his reaction there was an incredulous, "You aren't serious, are you ?" Silence from him and Gimli's grey-eyes widened in shock, "They **eat** elves ?! It's obvious they're Sauron's creatures because no sane member of the Seven Races would eat elves, no matter how annoying they were."

_'Gimli just included Jotnar and Asgardians with Elves, Hobbits, Dwarves, Men and those Ents that Lord Elrond mentioned. As if, as if we belong here in Arda too, I would love to stay here.'_

There was a splash and an exclamation of, " **Help !** Help me.", from Pippin.

Another splash as Boromir jumped from the first boat into the river after the red-haired hobbit. The light-brown haired man managed to catch Pippin by the arm, as their boat went past he and Gimli leaned over to pull the dripping duo in. Minutes later, they'd beached the boats in the white sand and fallen leaves of the Anduin's shore.

Gimli patted Pippin on the back, "Easy there, lad, breath, just breathe. You're fine, just fine !"

Pippin gasped and nodded, Boromir sat the pale-faced halfling down and wandered away to make firewood so they'd be able to start a fire. That while he dug out his black cloak from his pack to give it to Aragorn who then passed it to the hobbit.

What had just happened was so baffling, that he had to ask, "You don't know how to swim ?"

Everyone on Asgard knew how to swim, though he'd had a harder time keeping afloat because of his heritage.

Frodo answered, "We hobbits as a general rule don't like deep water and so don't know how to swim. The only exceptions it seems are myself, my uncle Bilbo, my father and mother and the Brandybucks like Merry. It's not 'hobbit-like' to know how to swim and discouraged as strange."

_'I couldn't imagine a place that discourages learning more than Asgard, but it seems the Shire is in second place. Especially, as it's quite lovely to go for a swim and get away from things. Someone needs to teach those hobbits how to swim so they don't drown themselves.'_

He, Sam and Gimli started passing out little bits of Galadhirm elven lembas or way-bread. Pippin who had stopped mostly stopped shaking, accepted the lembas and started on it with gusto.

To him it tasted rather like the Mirkwood, purple-berry lembas that Legolas had given him months ago. The only real difference between the two was that the Lothlorien way-bread didn't have any color to it.

Boromir came back with firewood, then Legolas and Frodo started on the fire. Two hours later, they were back in the boats and off again.


	37. Rauros

Legolas crawled out of his bedroll, the sunlight filtered brightly through the pines and barren leaf trees. Loki was up and crouched by Boromir, trying to wake him. Now, it was the blue-eyed Gondorian who had the spasming dreams instead of Loki. Either way, it worried him, because, _'What if Loki not having any more of those dreams means it **does** have a stronger hold on him ? Or is Boromir finally going to snap and try to kill Frodo ?'_

Unwilling to dwell on the thought that he could end up killing one of his friends at any moment, no matter how reluctantly, he pushed it aside.

On instinct, he ducked and a pine-cone flew over his head, he looked up to see Pippin and Merry were having a pine-cone fight. Sam exclaimed, "Watch it, Pippin ! You almost hit Legolas and before you almost hit Frodo in the head."

A sheepish, "Sorry !", from the embarrassed hobbit, who was promptly hit in the head by Merry who grinned and dashed into the forest.

He smiled, shaking his head as he joined Aragorn by the fire, "Good morning, Aragorn."

"Good morning, Legolas. Hmm, today we should finally reach Amon Hen, if Pippin doesn't fall out again."

Breakfast passed quickly, the order of partners was mostly switched this time, with himself and Loki joining Merry and Pippin. Gimli was with Boromir, Sam and Frodo. The hours passed with Shire, Mirkwood and Asgardian tales aplenty between boats.

Eventually, the roar of the Falls of Rauros and the Argonath which had been tiny yesterday grew bigger. _'We're almost there. How I can't wait to move again.'_ The falls were roaring in his ears as the boats approached the dock, which was a great grey-stone staircase sticking up above the white-sand, but because it was so tall, they stopped the boats on either side of it.

Quickly, he climbed out of the boat which was about ten feet away from, and beneath, the shadow of the Argonath or the over fifty feet tall statues of Elendil and Islidur who had one of their palms outstretched each. Gimli had looked glad to be near the shore when he'd jumped out into the shallows, despite the swan-boat's smooth ride and Loki's Moria illusion. Loki, who had followed him, was already glaring at Thor as they stepped off onto the sand, still annoyed about the Asgardian's calmness from yesterday morning.

While Loki having been in love with Thor for the longest time was able to glare with impunity, he still felt awkward, if not even more awkward than before Thor's catching him. The same thought as yesterday evening entered his mind, _'Is the reason Thor isn't reacting because he's used to having drunken sex with males ? Or is he just acknowledging it because of Loki's annoyance and otherwise trying to push it away ?'_

Thor surveyed them as he asked, "Is everyone all right ? What delayed you ?"

Gimli and Pippin were now sitting beside Frigga, as Pippin and Frigga started a fire with the last bit of Boromir's left over firewood, Pippin answered in an excited ramble, "I fell out of the boat and Boromir rescued me, then Gimli and Loki pulled us out, we stopped for a while and then we started again-"

Merry finished, and far shortened, Pippin's sentence, "When it got dark Aragorn throught we'd better stop for the night since nearly everyone was falling asleep. Even Legolas fell asleep."

_'That was quite the odd dream I had...'_

**Flashback**

Nervous, he straightened his mithril and diamond circlet and looked beside himself at Loki and Thor. Loki's hair was pulled back held in place with a white-gold circlet studded with rubies and emeralds, and wearing an onyx robe, who didn't react because of the guards. While Thor who grinned reassuringly was wearing a silver, small winged, helmet, and his red-cape, blue-leather tunic under his breast-plate and the buckled armour. Reassured, he nodded and then the guards opened the doors.

They walked into the throne-room down the aisle toward the throne. Father who wore the oak-leaf, deer-antler and red-fern, themed Circlet of Mirkwood, rose to greet him with, "Legolas.", and a wary look at his loves.

"Father, these are my loves - Loki of the Frost and Thor of Asgard."

A nod and then Valog fell from the ceiling to rip Father's heart out, before they were all crushed by more falling orcs.

**End Flashback**

_'Especially, since Loki only told me about their ceremonial dress a few times when we were in the cave in the Misty Mountains. As long orcs don't fall from the sky and Loki and Thor are still alive, I will be perfectly happy to be awkward around Thor.'_

Thor's eyebrows raised and furrowed in surprise, an almost teasing, "The Anduin is too tame for the wood-elf Prince is it, Legolas ?"

Blushed slightly and shifted his weight as he replied, "One could say so."

Aragorn walked past them, saying, "I'm going to scout from Amon Hen."

Amon Hen or the Hill of the Eye in Sindarin, was the name of the enormous hill that rose above the Anduin upon which sat the ruins of a watchtower of the ancient and then much bigger realm of Gondor. And upon those ruins were itself the ruins of a magical seat that granted great sight in all directions for hundreds of leagues.

Boromir, who stood beside himself and Loki, frowned and added, "I'll go with you a ways, Aragorn, we need more wood."

Himself, Loki and Thor joined the others around the fire as Merry whispered with a furtive look, "Is it just me or has Boromir acted strangely this morning ? He kept looking around at Frodo and away, you don't think it's still the Ring is it ? **Frodo ?!** Where's Frodo ?"

Like he had expected Loki flinched at the Ring's mention. Then Frigga looked up and stated, "I thought I saw Frodo and Sam sneaking after Aragorn and Boromir. Their legs were probably cramped or some such."

Pippin volunteered, "Maybe they're going to get more wood too."

Just over the sounds of Rauros, he suddenly heard the sound of many heavy foot-steps and twigs breaking. _'There are orcs...how did they find us ? How long have they been tracking us since we left Lothlorien ? Far too long and Aragorn, Boromir, Frodo and Sam don't know. We have to warn them !'_


	38. Kidnap

Valog snarled at the Uruk-hai Captain Lurtz who he was forced to work alongside. _'Three days here and another three days back to Isengard with this wyrm's ass. I'd rather an elf killed me than endure him.'  
_

Personally, he'd liked Ugluk, but Ugluk had been killed by Lurtz before they'd left Isengard. At 6'5, Lurtz was three inches taller than Ugulk had been or himself and Bani were, the only difference between him and the others was that Lurtz's teeth were completely yellow.

_'The uruk-hai may be bigger, yes, stronger and faster too, but they're **not true** servants. Lurtz thinks he so superior, but he was made by magic and, literally, fucking goblins in Isengard ! He's **not** better than me, no matter what he or that damned wizard Saruman says.'_

**Flashback**

Annoyed, he glared at the white-haired and grey-bearded wizard, "What do you want, accursed istar ?"

"Mordor sends you to accompany my Uruk-hai to capture the halflings sent from Imladris and return them unspoiled."

While he didn't know what Imladris meant he knew it was one of those prissy elf words, just like Isengard. His answer was a laughed, "Obviously the Witch-King doesn't think your Uruk-hai are able. How embarrassing for the puny, Stick-man."

Saruman snarled, thrusting the staff forward and he found himself thrown face-first into the floor. "My Uruk-hai are better than you, you deformed, witless mongrol. It is their first mission and the Witch-King wants them accountable."

A voice said, "We are accountable, Saruman and we will not fail." He looked up to see a giant, dark-blue skinned uruk with a white-painted hand-print on his face walking up. "I am Ugluk of Isengard."

"Valog of Mordor."

Ugluk and himself started to talk about what plans they would use.

**End Flashback**

In front of them two of the halflings they were supposed to capture were running away, but blocking his way, as Lurtz the Coward peeled off, were two blonds - one an elf and one a man. _'That's the elf that nearly shot me with an arrow and the one Bani captured ! The smug, pointy-ear killed Bani !'_

Or, at least, that was his thought until two throwing knives were sticking out of the blonds throats and they fell on the sand. Bani in his fancy black, green and silver scaled armour and golden gauntlets stalked up, to pull his knives out with a sneered, "Stupid elf, I told you, you wouldn't get away from me. I nearly got killed trying to sneak into that damned elf-forest a few weeks ago." Eerie, blood-red eyes glowed, as the other captain got to his feet, and looked up at him, wiping the knives off before sheathing them.

It was an odd relief to know that, at least, there was one orc he could trust around. _'Bani could take Lurtz out easier than I could if he tries to steal the credit.'_

"Me and the others were driven off by some of those blond creeps before we could get closer than ten feet. We need to capture those halflings alive, apparently one of them has something those dick Ring-Wraiths want."

Bani nodded and he followed the much prettier orc back into the trees to the sound of fighting. He grinned as they ran through the trees he saw Moga grabbing the red-haired hobbit, while Moga's 'brother' Foga grabbed the light-blond one.

There was a scream of, "Merry, Pippin !", from the fancy clothed brown-haired man who was surrounded by both dead orcs and uruks. _'Two is good enough, I'm not wasting my life for the ones who disappeared.'_

As he called, "We've got them, **come on**!", he started to run after Moga, Lurtz had his bow out and started to shoot the man.

When Bani growled, he looked over his shoulder to see the red-eyed orc had run back to Lurtz, grabbed the uruk's compound-bow and snapped it in half. "For Hel's sake, stop wasting our time and get running."

Like him Lurtz stopped and stared at Bani, Lurtz snarled, "Who do you think you are, Wraith-eyes ?"

"Death !" His grin widened further when Bani punched Lurtz, who flew back into a tree. Bani rejoined him as the man approached Lurtz and they took off through the trees towards the Limlight river catching up to Moga, Foga and the others easily.

The halflings were struggling and shouting as they were thrown on the ground. Bani walked up and kicked the red-haired one in the face, "Shut your face, they can't save you."

A whimper and nod before Lurtz bleeding heavily from his half-severed neck threw himself on Bani and as orc and uruk fell started punching him. Bani bucked, before flipping and slamming the uruk's head into the ground. It made him laugh when it detached from the force of the blow and rolled to lay beside the blond halfling.

_'Good-bye and rot, Wrym-ass.'_

Moga bound and gagged both prisoners, before throwing the darker-haired one's arm loop around his neck as Foga did the same with the other. _'At least, with Bani here it should be more entertaining than annoying.'_   The severed head was trampled as they started running again.


	39. Run

_'How lucky for me that all here are destined for ruination, but let me bring even_ _more strife to this dismal and disasterous union.'_  
  
Loki grabbed the uruk's throat before it could react, then opening his eyes in a fierce glare, he growled, "You little bitch, you were trying to steal my knives."

The uruk froze, its throat working hard to swallow as he tightened his grip. Panicked brown-eyes met his gaze and the hand was quickly pulled off his belt. With a simple flick of the wrist, he threw the uruk away and it crashed into one of the many others who was walking up.

Uruk and orc both stared at him as Valog walked up, "Lord Sauron has blessed Bani with more strength than even an Uruk-hai, does not it mean that we orcs are superior to the Great-eye ? Who has proved themselves time and time again ? Was it the Uruk-hai ? No, it was the orcs."

Hissed threats and snarling from the uruks, while there were cheers from the orcs. Moga, who was an orc Lieutenant, and one of Valog's friends, walked up to dump Pippin in the circle. "Some body else can take the bloody Rock-brain. I ain't getting kicked in the back no more !"

'Bread' was passed out then, he suppressed the shudder and, once again, forced it down. _'Augh, maggot-filled bread for one day is simply disgusting, unfit even for more worms. But, maggoty-bread for two, going on three days, is so cruel not even Father in his worst mood would subject me to it. What I wouldn't give to be in Imladris at a breakfast feast, then Legolas and I would go to the library or sparring with Boromir or Thor.'_

Shook off his wishes then walked up and undoing Pippin's gag, along with an apologetic look only Pippin could see, he ignored the please-let-me-starve look to shove a piece of bread into the hobbit's mouth. After he, illusory, re-gagged Pippin, he slung the hobbit around his neck and over his spear.

When he had started running again, across the grassy field along the edge of the Fangorn forest that with its very tall, dark, twisting and sometimes closely spaced, trees reminded him of Mirkwood, he added the illusion of his running silently under the bright, cloud-free sky to the first.

Foga was still carrying Merry, Merry looked over at him raising an eyebrow. He answered that look with, "We're escaping tonight !"

"Yay, **no more** worm-bread !", and muffled cheering from Merry abounded.

Smiled faintly as he continued, "I'll illusion you over, free you and we'll hide in the forest until morning then go look for the others."

_'What are Legolas and Thor doing ? What happened to Frodo and Sam ? Did Aragorn heal Boromir from that arrow which was too close for me to catch ? If Gandalf were here he would know or Skuld would. If Gandalf were here I never would have had to help kidnap my little friends or, at least, it would have only been illusory.'_

Pippin wondered, "Loki, did you illusion Frodo and Sam to help them get away ?"

"No, I did not. Do you know what happened to them ?"

"Frodo said he was going to go to Mordor by himself, but Sam was going to try and convince him not to leave us behind."

That news made him sigh in frustration, _'I am supposed to be Protector of the Ring-bearer and, so, **of course** , off they go running to Mordor by **themselves** ! Thusly, they break the whole reason for having the Fellowship in the first place.  Do they not know how absolutely packed full of orc, troll, human and other servants Mordor is going to be if they survive that long ?'_

One thing that had made him happy these past nights was that being out of sight of Frodo, and thusly the Ring's influence, his sleep was now peaceful, except for regular nightmares.

_'Now, thank the Norns and Varda, perhaps Mother/Beria as well, neither Boromir or myself have to worry about giving in and murdering our friends and family. For now, unless Gollum finds and gets the Ring from Frodo everything is icy-clear. If only it would stay that way, I have the feeling Skuld was only giving me a reprieve these last two days.'_

Like the last days, he ran without any necessities or stopping for hours, until the moon and stars had long since risen in the sky. They were maybe twenty feet away from the edge of the forest, it would be so easy to get away...or so he thought.


	40. Run - Part 2

_'It can't be true, it can't be true ! Eomer is wrong, they can't be dead ! Loki and Merry a-and Pippin they can't be, not after Gandalf just died !'_

When Legolas heard Frigga's horrified exclamation of, " **No !** ", his gaze moved from the enormous pile of impaled and charred bodies they were approaching to the faintly gleaming thing in Gimli's hand. The throwing knife should have been silver, instead it was partially blackened with soot. _'_ _ **The Rohrrim killed Loki**_ _, they killed him ! Merry and Pippin didn't have a chance of surviving then.'_

Something rough brushed against his cheek, he realized it was Thor as the Asgardian's arms wrapped around him, also realizing that he had fallen and they were kneeling on the ground. He noticed that Aragorn was screaming incoherently and kicking something, while Boromir was comforting Frigga and it looked like Gimli was mumuring something.

 _'We were too late, mere_ _**hours** _ _too late. Three days in pursuit of life, only to find death instead.'_

**Flashback **

He was just about to release the arrow that would end the bleeding and fleeing bigger orc's life. Except, Aragorn crouched beside the unconscious Boromir, who leaned against a tree, said, "Don't waste your arrow, Legolas. We have bigger concerns at the moment - after we find athelas for Boromir's wound we can go look for Frodo and Sam."

Thor was coming down from Amon Hen cleaning up the spare orcs that he had missed, asked, "Athelas ? What is that ? A herb of some sort ?"

"In Sindarin it means 'Helpful leaf', on its own it is a good healing plant, but it is better even in Aragorn's hands as Gondorian legend says the Heir of Islidur would be a healer."

Aragorn muttered, "If you find some, it should hold him until we get to Edoras and the Rhorrim's healers." Edoras being the capital city of Rohan in its West Fold.

Athelas was long stemmed and star-shaped like El Varda, but was instead green in color. Frigga, Thor, Gimli and himself started scouring the hill and valley-sides until they found some. When Boromir had been treated and gained consciousness, the man blurted as he looked around wildly, "Pippin ! Merry !"

Frigga calmed the Steward's heir and asked, "What about them ?"

"These great orcs, one called themselves Uruk-hai and regular orcs attacked. I was defending us as best I could and suddenly, Loki and an orc with the oddest yellowish-grey eyes ran up. Two different orcs snatched Merry and Pippin as one of the uruk's with a handprint on its face shot me, Loki caught the other two arrows, then smashed its bow and punched it in the face before running off after the first orc. Merry and Pippin should be okay with Loki to protect them."

_'Protect, protect...did Frodo and Sam get caught by a different group of orcs and uruks ? Are they alive hiding under their cloaks back in the camp ?'_

On that thought, he turned and ran back to the shore, only to see one of the boats was beached on the east bank...towards Mordor. No matter how far he looked there was no movement whatsoever. Frodo and Sam were long gone having left silent as shadows in the heat of battle. _'We don't know where they have gone, but Boromir saw Loki and Valog run across the Field of Celebrant. They are definitely going to Rohan, we just don't know if they are going to_ _ **stop**_ _in Rohan or go elsewhere.'_

Aragorn's voice was beside his shoulder, "Take only what is necessary, we go after Merry, Pippin and Loki."

Gimli stated, "If they've been hurt the orcs are going to get ahead of themselves...by leagues."

Thor laughed with a brash smile, "So, we hunt orcs and uruk-hai ?"

Frigga nodded as Boromir after dropping his shield on the sand, pulled out his ivory horn to let loose a hunting call. "Now, we hunt."

That day Boromir and Gimli kept up as they passed over leagues of rising and sloping hills, along with flat green grass and yellow wheat plains. They stopped only so that Aragorn could pick up the orcs tracks, before eating and resting at night for an hour.

On the second day, Gimli and Boromir started falling behind because of exhaustion in Gimli's case and Boromir's wound. Frigga managed to keep the two going with a little bit of lembas, but that was when they came to a dilemma some tracks split off to the right and others towards the dark forest of Fangorn. _'Not even orcs would venture  toward the haunted forest of Fangorn from what Father told me of Mother's stories.'_

Thor wondered, "Shall we split up ? Mother and I can take the trail nearest the forest, while you four can keep to the center of Rohan."

Gimli shook his head panting, "Likely the other orcs...and uruks noticed 'n chased them."

Aragorn crouched over the left trail asked, "Legolas do you think this could have something to do with Saruman ? He did try to stop us from reaching Rohan before when we were in the Mountains."

 _'Gandalf said that Saruman lived just beyond the borders of Rohan. Just beyond the West Fold, beyond the Gap of Rohan is...'_ A spark of understanding lit, "Isengard !"

Boromir, "What of Isengard ?"

Excitedly, now, he exclaimed, "They're taking the hobbits to Isengard ! To Saruman himself because he knows one of them has the Ring."

Without another word they set off again down the left trail, they stopped for an hour to eat and that night they were forced to rest because Boromir and Gimli were too tired to go on without sleep. His own sleep was filled with nightmares of Merry, Pippin and Loki being eaten by Valog that left him with ill feelings when he woke.

The third day was a blur of more green and gold as they skirted the looming blackness of Fangorn which moved ever closer to them. They still ran on the morning of the fourth day as a blood-red sun rose in the clear-blue sky. When he saw that sunrise a feeling hit him, _'Blood has been spilled this night. Was it Merry, Pippin or Loki's ? It can't have been they must be alive. They_ _ **are**_ _alive !'_

When Frigga explained, "The bloody sunrise is an omen of death to many in Elvish culture, Thor.", he knew he'd said it aloud.

His fears rose when in the far distance he heard the sound of many horses, their jingling tack and their riders, it was a company of Rohirrm. After he warned the others they sat to wait for what would likely be either the Second or Third Marshal of the Mark and the unit accompanying said marshal.

A while later, they were encircled by a moving stream of horses, the mens armour was of red-leather, their helms were styled like horse heads with mane-like plumes. The Rohrrim's movement stopped and spears were pointed at them as a man whose plume was white-blond stopped in front of Aragorn and Thor.

Said man snapped, "What business do men, an elf and a four-foot **dwarf** have in the Ridder-mark ?"

Gimli snarled at the insult, "I am Gimli, son of Gloin, of Erebor. Who be's thee, Man ?"

"I am Eomer, son of Eomund, Third-Marshal of the Mark and were you a foot taller I would cut off your head son of Gloin for insolence."

He had his bow ready in a man's blink and pointing in Eomer's face, "You would die Eomundson before your stroke neared him."

_'I just called him Eomundson...like Loki would have. I'll have to tell him that when we find them.'_

Aragorn answered, as he was gestured to put his bow away, and he noticed Mjolnir was as well, "We are hunting orcs, did you see any, Eomer ?"

Eomer nodded after pulling off his helmet to reveal very dark-blond hair that was almost black in places, "We found a party of orcs last night-"

Gimli interrupted, "Did you see some hobbits with them ? Maybe being escorted by an 'orc' with red-eyes ?"

"Hobbits ? What are hobbits ?"

It was Thor's turn, "They are halfrold, Eomundson."

" **Halfrold ?** Halfings ? No, we saw not a single halfing among them. If there were an orc with red-eyes then he is dead. We killed anything that moved and looked like an orc, we burned their bodies last night near the edge of Fangorn and the Gap."

If more words were said, he didn't hear them as he jumped onto one of the spears and vaulted over the horses. Rolled and sprang to his feet before running fast as he could towards the distant plume of smoke.

**End Flashback**

He leaned closer to Thor as Aragorn moved farther away from the pile. Suddenly, Aragorn let loose an excited shout, "Look ! Look, the brooch of an elven cloak, there's a trail going into the forest ! One of them is still **alive** !"

In disbelief he and Thor got up, walking together to stand beside Aragorn. There was indeed a trail going into Fangorn. _'At least, one of our friends is still alive. Wait, i-is that Skuld ?'_

Skuld's silver and red-eyes glowed briefly from the dark trees before fading away. Hope filled him at the Norn/Maia's appearance and he rushed for the trees.


	41. Proof

Loki had already been laughing when Moga started a fight with an uruk over eating Merry and Pippin because he had already cut free and illusioned the two and that laughter increased when a spear was thrust through Moga's chest from on horseback.

Suddenly there was noise everywhere and three, well four really, sides - orcs, uruks, horsebacks and them. _'Rohrrim ? Most likely considering where we are.'_ Merry and Pippin were running in single file, ducking under, side-stepping or rolling to avoid horses along with flying and falling bodies as they made for Fangorn.

Snaga, an orc who'd made it abundantly clear he thought the hobbits were food, broke from the crowd to chase after his little friends, he unsheathed and threw two knives - one flew through a horse's front legs and the other struck its target the shoulder of Snaga. As he rushed towards Snaga using all the speed he could, he startled a horse and its blond-black haired rider into falling over. He lunged at the orc, who'd stopped to pull his knife out and throw it aside, they rolled after colliding.

When he looked up, Pippin and Merry were staring frozen at the melee instead of running. Two seconds later, he was up and pushing them into the forest, then twisting to throw a knife into Snaga's throat. Of course, that was when Valog had to appear through all the chaos, he cast the illusion of six surrounding riders into the orc Captain's mind to buy himself and the others some time.

The hobbits hadn't gone far when he joined them, it was easy to see why as clouds drifted across the moon turning the forest into pitch-blackness. For a second, Skuld in her ash-bark robe appeared a few feet away, instinctively he threw himself onto Pippin and Merry, they hit the ground just before one of his knives whizzed overhead.

He rolled off the hobbits into a crouch, unsheathing his spear the mallorn wood seemed to glow in the darkness. Maybe it was just his imagining, but it seemed like Valog snarled and cringed away from the spear. _'Well, it is blessed-wood from Valinor and he is a cursed creature of Sauron's.'_

Then he was deflecting knives of men's-making as Pippin and Merry ran. When Valog ran out of knives, he turned and sprinted to the, at least, thirteen or fourteen foot tall, black-barked tree the two had stopped under. Said trees branches were ten feet in the air too high for their children-sized frames to hope to reach, he grabbed the back of Merry's cloak in one hand and threw the blond into the air. Merry grabbed the nearest branch with a scream of freight as did Pippin seconds later though on the other side.

Pain lanced through his shoulder as one of his knives pierced it and then Valog was shoving him up against the tree. Found it odd that one of the branches moved before the wind that freed the moon's light, _'An ent ? Are they why Valog and the others were avoiding here ? Well, let's see if I can't wake it further.'_

Willed the air to start cooling itself as Valog snarled, "I knew there was something odd about you, Bani. You and your too fancy armour and that elf-spear, you're a traitor aren't you ?", and a knife rested on his throat.

Responded with, "Perhaps or perhaps you know me not well enough to say which.", as he grabbed, twisted and broke Valog's arm, before he slammed his head back into the orc's.

A scream of, "Loki, help ! T-the tree i-it's **alive** !", from Pippin as the 'tree' stepped backward ten feet with one step. _'Ha, it is an ent as I thought !'_

As he rolled out of the way, the ent's foot slammed down where he had stood. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Valog fleeing towards Isengard through the forest' edge.

Said ent rumbled in a voice as old, slow and deep as Arda itself, "Stay still little orc and die."

Quickly, he shifted from his Orc-form into his Asgardian-form, "I swear on my life that I am not an orc, Master Ent. I am Loki Niss, a skin-changer from a very far World.", and offered the mallorn spear as proof.

He flinched when the ent leaned down, its beard was like leaves and so was its hair, its eyes, golden like the sun, set in its bark-like skinned face scruitizing himself and the spear closely.

While he sheathed the spear again, Merry exclaimed, "Pippin, he's a Tree-shepard ! Just like the old tales in those books back in Buckland's library."

Said ent nodded, "My name is Fangorn, but Men call me Treebeard, little orc. Orcs would say that they were not orcs to live, Master Niss and thee have eyes like fire, but almost elven in wonder. I know not what any of you be's, but there is one who will know if you tell truth or lie."

Treebeard reached out one of his hands, cautiously he walked onto the tree-like creature's hand. Seconds later, he asked, "Who is that, Master Treebeard ?"

"Why the White Wizard, of course."

_' **Saruman** ? He's taking us to Saruman ?'_

Hours passed and it was nearing dawn when they were put down near a rock. Himself and the others shielded their eyes as a white-light filled the clearing, when it faded standing there was..."Gandalf ? Gandalf, is that you ?"

Stood in front of them was the old wizard his grey-robes had been traded for more regal white, his blue-grey eyes seemed even wiser, but he still had his old dark-wooded staff.

Pippin giggled, " **Gandalf !** Merry, look it's Gandalf !"

Merry was obviously in shock and nodded to Pippin as he approached the wizard, "Ga-gandalf, b-but we saw you fall. We saw you die, how are you alive ?"

Gandalf tilted his head slowly, "Gandalf ? Yes, I suppose that was my name for many years. I fought the balrog until death claimed us both, I was sent back from Valinor by Eru to continue my mission. These are not orcs, Treebeard, they are friends of mine. Master Meriadoc and Peregrin are Halfrold and need to be returned home to the Shire. I would ask you to take them after the Ent-moot and perhaps Master Loki would wish to accompany them ?"

_'He's got a plan of some sort, I know that look as Thor said it was always my own.'_

"If Treebeard will have me, I would be pleased to go with O' White Wizard."

Gandalf and Treebeard talked for a while before he, Merry and Pippin again climbed onto the ent.

_'Gandalf is alive, and he's going to go help Legolas and the others, already I miss them all terribly. O' Skuld now that Gandalf is alive, would thee watch over Frodo and Sam ? I wonder if they miss the Shire, because I don't miss Asgard at all.'_

He closed his eyes and jerked awake on a bed of moss as the waterfall that covered the cave's entrance thundered in his ears. It was peaceful in the cave, outside he heard Merry and Pippin laughing about something.

_'I don't want to go home, but if I don't go back to Asgard...I'll likely never see Mother and Thor again until Valhalla, should I be so lucky. Yet, if I go back to Asgard, I know for sure that I'll never see my youngest friends again because they will likely be dead. How short are the lives of the fully mortal races, but a second's in length compared to my own. So short and yet they manage more happiness and joy in that time than I've had in my whole life until I wound up here.'_


	42. Trail

Legolas had thought he was dreaming when they had started following the trail. Never had he listened or looked so hard in all his life, not even at the Battle of the Five Armies when he'd been looking for Father, Air, Acharn, Gail and Gel, he was actually giving himself a headache. _'One of them is alive, know you well Eru Allfather I have nothing, but love for our little friends, but please let it be Loki.'_

As they walked through the ancient forest's crunching leaves, with his heart still pounding like Nimroch's during a gallop, he'd also never startled so much in his life. The fact that there were three horses in front of him should have made his always jumping moot.

When a raven cried above them he, once again, jumped and crashed into Thor. On Thor's other side, Frigga smiled like she knew something he didn't, and Thor's hand landed deliberately slowly on his shoulder. _'Did Skuld tell her who it is ? **Is** it Loki ? Who is it ? Why does this trail have to be so long ?!'_

The Asgardian Prince smiled and joked, "If truly you want to fly, Legolas, all you need do is ask."

He couldn't help smiling back and leaned against the golden-blond. Glad, at least, that even if Loki really was dead there was still Thor and his other friends. _'Amazing isn't it ? How quickly thinking the one you both love is dead then possibly still alive can erase any awkwardness.'_

Boromir came up beside them, "A pity it is that you weren't there in the beginning, Thor. You could have just flown Frodo to Mordor, but then we would not have grown so close as we have."

Gimli called, "What're you doing back there ? We're losing Aragorn." A softer grumble, "I swear the lad's part-elf when it comes to his tracking.", and brandished his axe when one of the trees creaked slightly.

Another elven feeling hit him - the forest was not only ancient, it was alive and it hated violence against its trees - lethally, and he responded with, "I would put away your axe, Gimli. These trees don't like them, nor you to posess one and they will gladly wake to **kill** you should you use it."

It was almost comical to hear Gimli shout, "I'm putting it away, nice and slow see ! You just stay asleep !"

With Thor beside him, he finally stopped jumping at every sound, the four of them caught up to Aragorn and Gimli before they ate as they walked. Once only did they lose the trail and then so badly that not even he without his headache could have found it. Frigga/Beria saved them by shifting into raven-form and finding it a hundred feet ahead.

Hours blurred by with nearly the same black-trees and fallen leaves, so that he hardly noticed until it had gotten into the night. When they cautiously with weapons drawn approached the clearing in which he'd heard movement.

When they entered and the strange white-light blinded them, he loosed the arrow and Thor threw Mjolnir. As it faded he watched something that seemed impossible - not only was his arrow knocked aside, but whoever it was caught and held Mjolnir in their free-hand. The even bigger shock came that it was Gandalf stood upon the grey rock.

_'Gandalf is the White Wizard now ?'_

Turned his head and saw Frigga/Beria smile at him as Aragorn voiced his thoughts, "How did you become the White Wizard ?"

Gandalf threw Mjolnir back to Thor, he sensed the power emanating from the wizard and saw Gandalf's eyes glow blue-white as the maia answered, "I was sent from Valinor to complete what Saruman failed - to help save Arda. Now, that you have found me, we will go on to Rohan to deal with Saruman and free Theoden King who has been his hostage for many years."

He slung his bow again onto his back while Boromir asked, as Gandalf's eyes stopped glowing, "Gandalf, **d-do** you know what happened to Merry, Pippin and Loki ? A-are they dead by the son of Eomund's hand ? You must know what happened to them."

The White Wizard stepped down from the rock and smiled at them as he approached, warmly like when Mother had first introduced him.

**Flashback**

Everything seemed to become very dizzying and he could hardly breath as Mother gently pushed him forward. "Be curteous and say something, Legolas, Gandalf is not going to hurt you. We would never let anything that would hurt you through the castle gates. If ever something got through it would be killed swiftly."

It was odd for him to see a white-haired being that wasn't an elf as he walked down from the dais, odd to see a being that had a **beard** and felt more powerful then Father.

Slowly, Gandalf walked up to crouch in front of him, the grey-robes very dark against the beige-stone floor. Gandalf's eyes were an incredible bluish-grey color and his voice was intimidating, "Hello, my young Prince Legolas. How are thee ?"

Cringed away from the voice and managed to stutter, "I-I am well." Then he looked over at Father, who's blue-eyes glowed happily as he stood beside Mother, before straightening his shoulders and tried to be like Father as he said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Master Gandalf. Did you have a nice journey ?"

Gandalf chuckled and smiled warmly down at him, "That is good to hear, Legolas. I'm sure your mother and father are very proud of you for facing your fear of me. There were a few things to be dismissed, but yes, I had a very pleasant journey indeed."

"We are both very proud of him, Gandalf. Our brilliant little greenleaf has a great trail ahead of him." Mother and Father walked to stand behind him, their linked hands resting on his back.

**End Flashback**

"Let me reassure you all, they are alive. Though Loki was injured in helping Merry and Pippin escape the slaughter. However, they are in the ents care for now."

_'They're alive, thank the Valar, they're **alive** ! Loki can't be injured too badly as Gandalf would have mentioned it. And with the ents, there are ents here ! There are ents here and Loki gets to meet them. I am jealous, I admit that Loki got to meet them first.' _

Everyone shared relieved looks and then Thor blurted, "Might we see them before we leave, Gandalf ?"

Slowly, the wizard shook his head, "No, Thor, they are likely sleeping and you will see them again. Not tomorrow, but soon enough and they would want you to sleep. We leave for Edoras in the morning."

Aragorn, Boromir and himself tied the horses to one of the trees, then he laid his bedroll beside Thor's and crawled in. _'Loki is alive, thank Varda. I wish we didn't have to go to Edoras, but it should pass quickly enough, whatever we have to do.'_

Restless as he was, eventually he managed to fall asleep.


	43. Spear

Loki winced as his right shoulder-muscle twinged on the last upper-cut with his spear. If he had been struck with a normal blade it wouldn't have pierced his armour. Except, of course, Valog had to throw his own knife back at him. Reached back and rubbed his shoulder, before he laid his spear on the grass and went to wash himself in the waterfall starting with his hair then slowly working down to his waist.

_'Treebeard said this water has an increased healing ability because it's source was around in the First Age. I can only hope so, because if that scars I won't have my full-motion anymore and that would compromise my fighting skills.'_

Finished a few minutes later, he backed up into the sunlight and smoothed his hair.

Pippin wondered, "How can you use this thing, Loki ? It's so, augh-", followed by a thud and a gasp of, " **heavy** !"

He turned to see that Pippin had actually fallen over backwards and was pinned beneath the spear. The sight was so odd he couldn't help, but shake his head in amusement as he sauntered over to lift his spear off the grey-eyed hobbit. A slight chuckle escaped him as he pulled Pippin to his feet, "It helps that I happen to be a lot bigger than you, young Peregrin. Do you want to learn ?"

"It'd be nice to use more than just a-a rock and my short-sword. Would you teach me how ?"

_'A short-sword to him, a dagger to me and what happens if he can't find a rock ? He needs another weapon in case he looses that dagger.'_

Treebeard meandered into the clearing, "Ho-hum, who is teaching what, Master Loki ?"

Looked around the grassy clearing and started to the tree line for a good size of branch from which to make one, "I am going to teach Pippin how to use a spear.", his lips thinned when nothing was the right size, he turned to look at Treebeard. "I hate to ask, but might I cut a branch from a tree ?"

The ent raised a hand to scratch at his hair, "The ent-moot is starting this afternoon so we have time. For the spear Fangil is dying, you might ask him if he is willing or rather I shall ask for you."

With that said, he and Pippin climbed onto Treebeard's hand, it was certainly a lot faster than walking everywhere. They ended up on the edge of the forest where they had met Treebeard and he finally saw the aftermath of the previous night - a pile of burnt bodies impaled on a cavalry spear. Treebeard approached a huge, twisted and bent tree that he hadn't noticed in the darkness. Minutes later, Treebeard intoned, "Fangil is willing to give you his top right branch."

In no time he had jumped and climbed up to the top of Fangil's branches. When he reached for a knife he realized that he'd left them in the cave because of the one time when he was young and Thor loosed a downpour on him to see if the knives would rust - they hadn't, of course. Instead, he froze the branch and willed it to break cleanly, catching it before sliding down.

Pippin stared at him in wonder as he thanked Fangil and they returned with Treebeard to the clearing. As he started the whittling, he also started singing one of the spells that Mother had taught him - a spell to strengthen the wood and keep it from breaking under even the greatest of stresses - an hour in he noticed the tiny white spirals appearing in the wood, he continued on. It would have to be one solid piece because a metal spear-head would be far too much for Pippin to carry easily, by the time he finished the spear at mid-day the spiral was the thickness of an arrow-shaft and crystal-white.

He'd just given it to Pippin when Merry and the ents entered the clearing. _'Whenever we get back together with Frodo and Sam, I will have to see if they want different weapons as well. What would Thor think if he met the ent who looks like an oak tree ? That would be interesting.'_

While Merry walked up he asked, "Pippin, where did that come from ?"

Pippin rested the spear-butt on the ground as he answered, "Loki, made it for me and it's got these swirls in it, see ?"

"Put it on the ground again."

"Merry ?"

"Put it on the ground, Pippin. Watch what it **does**!"

This time he too watched the spear as it was raised then lowered, as it touched the grass, said grass frosted over. Excited exclamations, "Did you see that ?! Loki, isn't that like, like, what you do ? Make ice like that ? This is so cool."

It made him muse, "I must have infused some of my ice magic into it with the spell."

The two grey-eyed hobbits shared looks and then Merry said, "Ooo, go try and freeze the waterfall."

Though it shouldn't have surprised him, when Pippin tried to freeze the waterfall...it **worked**. _'This is an interesting development indeed.'_ Behind them Treebeard started talking in Entish, the ent-moot had officially started.


	44. Theoden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glawar - 'Sunlight/radiance' in Sindarin

Legolas sat on the white Rohrric horse called Arod or 'Noble' in Sindarin, for the second day in a row. Yesterday had been much the same as today green and golden blurs, once again, he missed having Loki ride behind him.

Beside him Boromir and Gimli rode the horse named Tim or 'Star'. On the right-side of himself, Aragorn and Frigga rode a brown-horse called Hasufel, it must have been a Rhorric name because he couldn't remember coming across it before. _'It is too bad that I have to return Arod I think he would get along splendidly with Nimroch.'_

Gandalf had summoned the great white/grey horse Shadowfax, Lord of Mearas or Lord of Wild Horses. Gandalf was the only one who didn't have to return his horse because Shadowfax was a gift from Theoden of old before Saruman's corruption set in.

Thor, who had chosen to walk again, suddenly leapt into the saddle behind him, "Legolas, how long will it take us to get to Mordor from here ? I worry of Frodo and Sam, we know that Merry, Pippin and Loki are safe, but we have no- Huginn ? Mother is that Huginn ?"

A great raven swooped overhead and landed with a rasping croak on Thor's shoulder as another landed on Frigga's. Frigga stroked the bird's feathers, "Hello Muninn, what have you here ?"

Everyone stopped their horses and gathered around Hasufel as Frigga took a small scroll from upon Muninn's back and started to read, "All of Asgard sends well-wishes to thee, yet they refuse to give aid to Arda because of Loki's presence. As such in much disappointment, I turned elsewhere to look for your aid and found it on the plains of Svartalfheim in Fenrir Lokison. Like Loki, Fenrir is a shape-shifter, though only from giant wolf to jotun-form. He has sworn to help his father and Grandmother in this Worlds-spanning feat, but I know not when he will arrive." Frigga stopped for a moment, her eyes skimming over the paper as she smiled to herself, "For Loki alone a section, and then it ends - Heill Frigga Erudottir, Thor Odinson, Loki Jotson and company. Odin Allrfaethir, King of Asgard."

_'Jotson ? Son of Frost, does that mean Odin has watched us or, at least, had that Heimdall watching us ? I thought Loki was joking when he said he had a son that could shape-shift into a giant wolf, then again that was before I saw him turn into a bilgesnipe and a raven. Does that mean that Jorgmungandr is real as well ?'_

Thor's fingers brushed through both Huginn's feathers and his hair as Gandalf nodded musing, "We will have need of much support in what is to come. If Fenrir is anything as Loki his help will much benefit us all."

As they continued over the plains that dipped into hills and shallow scrapes before flattening again as they followed the river Snowbourn toward Edoras and the White Mountains. He wondered if Loki had noticed how the plains had changed when he'd run with the orcs and uruks by Fangorn. _'Likely not, they would have focused more on fleeing us than the ground they fled on.'_

Eventually, a bigger hill approached amid great fields of wheat, on top of which was a great black-stone wall and rising above that was a golden roof. Gandalf called as he stopped to pull out his old grey robes and dismounting Shadowfax donned them, "Be wary when we enter the Meduseld. Long has it been since the Golden Hall was not filled with the poison of Saruman by Grima Wormtongue, servant of Saruman and 'advisor' to Theoden."

Huginn and Muninn kaa-ed as Thor and Frigga stated, "Never trust a name of 'Mask' least doom leash itself to your House."

Gandalf remounted and they continued across the Snowbourn and up the hill to the wooden, iron-banded gates that were opened for them by dour-looking people. The houses they passed were either wood painted in fading bright-colors or drab stone, the people, everyone - children, young and old people - all looked impossibly weary. Wearier even than Glawar, father of Gail and Gel, Captain of the King's Gaurd, when he had left for Valinor after being born in Doriath in the First Age.

Gimli muttered, "'Bout as cheerful as a graveyard in here."

Boromir answered softly, "They have every right to look so, Gimli ! Long my father feared the men of Rohan had grown weak. Now I see it is not weak, but disheartened. However you free Theoden, Gandalf, do it quickly for I hate to see children so glum."

_'If Loki were here he would think of some way to cheer them.'_

One of the children, a dark-blond, pale-skinned boy of about twelve, suddenly shouted, " **Puppy** !", with a smile on his face before racing past them with the other children. More it surprised him when he turned to look over Thor's shoulder, and Huginn's bowed head, after the children a black-furred pup was running around the closed gate.

Aragorn asked, "Is it real or illusion, Beria ?"

Frigga replied, "Eru made it real, they need their innocence protected as far as is reasonable." as the tattered flag of Rohan, a golden horse outlined in red-thread on an emerald-green background, fluttered to ground beside Hasufel.

Soon they were approaching the straw-thatched hall of Medusled, there was a set of white-stone stairs that turned to the right and led to the columned entrance. When he dismounted a servant approached to take the reins he hadn't used, staring at him.

_'Hmm, this is probably the first time he has seen an elf. Likely the first time for many of them.'_

He nodded to the man, then accompanied the others up to the hall doors where three men in silver-armour waited. Two were gaurds and the one with long red-brown hair and beard stepped forward to ask, "For what reason do you wish entrance to the halls of Meduseld ?"

Boromir stepped forward as well, "I am Boromir, son of Denethor, Heir to the Steward of Gondor, and we wish to speak to him about urgent matters."

The man raised his eyebrows in surprise and then said, "Hama, son of Hamfast, Door-warden of Meduseld. If you wish to speak to the King you must give up your weapons on order of Wormtongue. No matter how I wish that tongue would be cut out."

What he ignored was basically Aragorn throwing a tantrum about leaving Anduril in the hands of the Rohrrim or he did until Gandalf handed over his sword, the legendary Glamdring which had seen use in the First Age, and Thor had placed down Mjolnir. His own weapons he gave over easily, after Gandalf convinced Hama to let him keep his staff, finally they entered Meduseld as Huginn and Muninn remained eerily silent on Thor and Frigga's shoulders.

The hall was of dark-stone, the walls covered in many thick tapestries and few windows, lining the columned floor in a long, dark-carpet. At the end of the hall, sat in a throne was a man that surely couldn't be Theoden. The King of Rohan was supposed to be of forty years, but the man looked to be about one hundred. Theoden's hair and beard was white, the blue-eyes were sunken and cloudy in a sickly-pale, incredibly wrinkled face.

Another man, presumably Wormtongue, with equally sickly-skinned, lank black-hair, no eyebrows and fish-like grey-eyes wearing a black-robe snarled, "What do you want, Gandalf ?!"

Theoden turned his head slightly, seeming to peer at them before saying, "Gan-dalf ?"

Wormtongue nodded and said, "Yes, my Lord, that wretched **Gandalf**. All he does is bring bad news, a lathspell embodied and he would trouble you now."

They flanked Gandalf as the wizard moved forward, he noticed the ten men that were approaching them. Gandalf snapped, "Shut thy mouth and lie on the floor as the worm you are for I came not to speak to you, but Theoden, son of Thengel, King of Rohan !", showing his staff.

"I'll have Hama killed, get the staff. Get the staff, you idiots."

He turned, grabbing the man who had approached him and threw the man into one of the walls. At the same time, Gimli head-butted one as Thor and Boromir threw two men into each other, Frigga made three run into columns with her illusions. Aragorn took out his anger on the last three punching and kicking them to unconsciousness.

With the 'fight' over, he turned to look at Gandalf and Theoden, Gandalf stood in front of the Rohrricc King. When the man he'd thrown into the wall tried sneaking up again, he backhanded the man in the face with a smirk that would have made Loki proud.

Gandalf was speaking, "Can you hear me, Theoden ?"

A cackle from the man, "Theoden is dying, Gandalf. It matters not if **he** can hear you, he can do nothing."

Gandalf thrust his staff forward and commanded, "Release him at once, Saruman !"

Saruman responded again through Theoden's mouth, "Just what can Gandalf the **Grey** do to me ? You cannot save him, if I leave the son of Thengel dies and so does the House of Eorl."

Thor murmured, "Eorl...the Baker ?! He has not a House."

Frigga whispered fiercely, "Ssh, Thor."

The window above the throne's light brightened near impossibly as Gandalf threw off his grey robes to reveal the white beneath. Pained screams came from Theoden-Saruman at the light as he was engulfed. When he opened his eyes a very different man sat in the throne - Theoden's skin was young again, his eyes clear as Thor's and his blond hair was only just turning white.

Suddenly, a twenty year old, pale-skinned, blond woman who had been hovering on the back edge of the dais, rushed forward to the king's side. Theoden whispered looking up at her as she kneeled, "I know you, just like Theodwyn. Are you not my little Eowyn ?"

_'His niece perhaps ?'_

Eowyn nodded to Theoden and said, "Yes, Uncle, it is I. Uncle, please Grima threw Eomer in prison."

A thud as Grima was thrown on the floor by Thor, where Gimli put a boot on Grima's neck. Theoden called, "Hama, Hama !", when no answer came there was a grumble of, "Where is he ? Not ever where I want him it seems."

Hama opened the doors catiously, "Y-yes, my Lord ? W-what my I do for thee ?"

"Free Eomer and bring me my sword, I would deal with Grima."

Enthusiastic, "Yes, right away, my Lord.", before Hama disappeared.

Thor picked up Grima roughly by the neck as Boromir, Gimli and himself moved to the close wall. It was funny to see Grima squirm and squeak when Thor growled at him as Muninn and Huginn clicked their beaks sharply and hissed. The Lady Eowyn had moved back to the left side of the room with Frigga and Gandalf.

Minutes later, Hama came back minutes later with Eomer, son of Eomund. The Third Marshal approached Theoden to kneel and offer his own sword. The King of Rohan reached out and took the sword before rising and asking, "Whom do you serve, Eomer ? Rohan or Saruman ?"

"I serve you, my Lord."

"Rise Eomer sister-son, and muster the Eorlingas."

Eomer rose and took back his sword, "It will be done. Hail Theoden, King of Rohan !"

A positively gleeful roar from outside, " **Hail Theoden King !** "

When a smile spread across Theoden's face at the echo, he couldn't help, but smile as well. _'What the others are doing ? Are they having as much success as we are ? I hope so.'_


	45. Worth

Loki suppressed a snarl as his shoulder spasmed and jerked the thrust downward to pierce the imaginary foe's left lung instead of its heart. He leaned on the spear he'd named Helegskera or Pierce-ice, combining a Sindarin term for ice - 'Heleg' with the Asgardian 'Skera' - pierce.

Pippin's free hand reached up to touch his own hesitantly and the hobbit asked, "A-are you okay, Loki ?"

Anger, disbelief and fear had him snapping, "I am **fine** , Peregrin Took !" His vitriol made the much smaller being recoil in fear, slowly he slid down Helegskera to sit on the grass, "My apologies, Pippin, I should be angry at Valog, not you. It's just..."

_'When I see that cloudy-iced, bilgesnipe ass-licking bastard again I'll kill him, I swear it.'_

Pippin sat down laying his spear across his lap, to look up innocently, "Just what, Loki ?", as if the young hobbit had already forgotten his reaction.

Laid his head in his left hand and sighed as he replied, "All my life I was told in no uncertain terms that Thor would always be better than myself, that I was weak and useless. I became the God of Mischief to try and boost my own confidence. On the outside it may have worked, but internally I was still plagued by all my problems and doubts. Now, now, if my shoulder doesn't heal correctly I **will** be useless - I won't be able to able to aim a spear or throw a knife properly with my right arm and it would take too long to re-learn the spear for my left. I have fought my own battles too long to watch others fight for me whilst I remain useless on the sidelines pitied by all and sundry."

It surprised him when the grey-eyed hobbit hugged him, "You're not useless, Loki, you'd never be. Look at all the stuff you've done, like, like shifting into that bulge-bilge, uh ?"

Pippin's word confusion made him chuckle, "Bilgesnipe, you mean."

"Yeah, that and telling us about the orcs a-and stuff in Moria after I knocked the bucket over. Plus, when you helped everybody with that fire in Lorien, you could totally win battles just with your ice alone. You're awesome, Loki and you're my best not hobbit friend."

Slowly, he hugged Pippin back, "Thank-you, Pippin, you're one of my best friends too."

Merry who had taken to the company of Treebeard like ice to himself entered the clearing with the ent. "Treebeard says he going to take us home now, Pippin."

Pippin picked up his spear and the two hobbits ducked behind the waterfall to pack their things. He was glad he already had his armour on and as he had already re-packed his black cloak yesterday after Merry, Pippin and himself had spent the afternoon trying to figure out just what the hobbit could do with the ice imbued spear, he had some free time.

**Flashback**

When Pippin had stopped giggling at, "Hi, I'm Pippin it's ice to meet you, Mr. Waterfall.", he ran his hand over the fall. It was indeed frozen solid, he punched the ice, it shattered and the fall started flowing again.

Merry wondered, "Can you freeze that rock ?", as he pointed to the small boulder on the left side of the clearing.

The three of them walked over and watched as Pippin raised the black-wood spear and tapped the boulder. While they expected something like the waterfall, this time nothing happened. Confused, he put his hand on the rock and willed it to freeze it...didn't !

_'How could it not freeze ? What is going on ? I-I didn't give it all to Pippin did I ?'_

Half-panicked, he forced himself to walk to a tree and willed it to ice over, _'Please work, please work, magic you cannot fail me now. Not after all this, please..._ _ **yes !**_ _'_

He sighed in relief as the tree was covered in a light layer of sparkling frost. Merry asked, "Is that some sort of weird Athelas, do you think ? Treebeard do you know what that is ?"

Treebeard startled him, the ent had basically become nonexistent in his stillness and silence, "Do I know what is, Master Meriadoc ?", as the tree-like being walked over to stand beside the hobbits.

Again, he joined them as Merry picked a blossom of...blom stiarna. "What is this ?" _'Oh, thank thee, Lady Elbereth ! I didn't give them away, what would I have done had that been the case ? It would have turned worse as I have come to rely even more on ice magic than my illusions.'_

"That is Lady Varda's flower, Master Meriadoc. It is very powerful especially when used for pushing back one like Master Loki's ice magic for a time. Between when the Nissrim showed up and before they vanished from Arda, they used it often when Morgoth tried to recruit them into his dark armies. A great many of them died following their leader Fain the Six-headed trying to get to Nissardh, the Realm of Frost."

_'Six-headed ? Like 'Father' mentioned Bergloki was and that the Ymirson was killed by a great evil. Could that be what happened ? Some of the Jotnar found a way into Middle-Earth during the First Age, that would explain why the cave-troll looked as it did and why according to Frodo from Bilbo's stories some of the orcs sixty years ago had lighter white-blue, jotun-like skin.'_

At that he had to ask, "What happened if one of the Nissrim ate too much of El Varda, Treebeard ?"

"You cannot have Nissrim without ice magic, the plant makes a barrier between the magic and the nissdan. If too many are eaten the magic is completely cut-off and the nissdan dies shortly after in terrible pain."

Treebeard's news made him wince and he was glad that he had only tried one in the foothills of the Misty Mountains.

**End Flashback**

Slowly, he sheathed Helegskera and asked looking up at the oldest of the ents, "Are we going to go by Isengard ? It would be much shorter that way and Saruman would not expect us to go that way."

Treebeard nodded, "You have good instinct, young Master Loki. That is where we are headed indeed."

With that decided, he too entered behind the waterfall and over to the grey rock shelf from where his pack had stayed, Treebeard had been kind enough to get it for him from the camp after they had talked to Gandalf and before the ent-moot. Shouldered his pack and then followed Merry and Pippin outside.

_'Perhaps I could...persaude...Treebeard to violently investigate Isengard for Valog. Unless, Valog told Saruman that he thinks we are in Edoras and Valog is back in Mordor by now. In which case Saruman could be readying an army of uruks to attack Edoras and possibly the others. If they are, surely I can convince Treebeard and the ents to help take the army down.'_


	46. Decsisions

Legolas along with Thor, Frigga and Aragorn as Boromir and Gimli made their way towards the White Mountains and the Rohrricc fortress of Helm's Deep with the citizens of Edoras. Theoden had decided to take everyone to the fortress after dealing with Grima.

**Flashback**

He along with everyone else watched Grima scrambled on the steps, trying to get away from Theoden who advanced on him with the sword Herugrim. Herugrim was slashed downward missing Grima's fingers by a hairs breadth, "You disgrace Rohan ! Serving Saruman and having me act as a dog, I should kill you."

Grima begged as Herugrim was laid against his throat, "Please, my Lord, I only did it t-to **save** Rohan ! If I had not Saruman's army of Uruk-hai which killed Prince Theodred would have killed us **all**."

Eomer snarled, "That is not so, Erkenbrand is at the Fords of Isen right now. He will deal with them."

"Do you really think Eomer that the Second Marshal can defend Isen all by himself ? He will die and then we will all die."

_'Not with us here, not with the remnants of the Fellowship and a vala on our side.'_

Eomer would have responded in kind, if not for Theoden's roar of, "Enough ! I tire of not only your lies, Grima, but your **life** !"

It made him look to the others to see if he was the only one with a lack of reaction, but everyone else also was not reacting. What did make him react was when Boromir raced forward to stay Theoden's hand, "Wait, has he not caused enough blood to be shed ? If you were to ask me, I would say death is too good for him."

Let his gaze move over the people who crowded around the stairs, they looked angered and ready to cut Grima apart. _'He sent how many of the Rohrrim to their deaths, hundreds ? It is somewhat reasonable that they want him to suffer as they themselves did.'_

Aragorn nodded and simultaneously said with Boromir, "Why not cast him into exile and make him live with what he has done to Rohan ? Surely, that is punishment enough, Theoden."

Theoden pulled Herugrim from Grima's neck, "You disgrace thy father Grimbold who was courageous to the last, and you will crawl to where ever you choose to live in exile to the end of your days. If you return to Rohan ever your life is for anyone who wishes to take."

Grima rolled onto his stomach and started crawling down the last steps, the crowd parted glaring at the traitor. Huginn and Muninn leapt off Thor and Frigga's shoulders to hover over Grima and following him out of sight to make sure that he left Rohan.

Gandalf announced suddenly, "I apologize, but I must go now."

He raised his eyebrows and responded, "Where are you going to go, Gandalf ?"

"I have business that must be attended. It would be wise, Theoden, to go to Helm's Deep as Saruman's army is surely approaching and Edoras is not built for defense."

Gimli asked, "When can we expect you ?"

Gandalf started down the steps, "In five days, when the sun rises."

Orders were passed out for the citizens to take only what was necessary to the Hornburg or Gilttering Caves. He, Thor and Boromir helped to load a family's things onto a wagon with their elder.

**End Flashback**

Behind himself, Thor and Arod was Eowyn walking with the line of children and people. The Lady of Rohan was talking to Boromir and Gimli who rode beside her.

Something thudded up on the hill to their right, followed a dark-furred, wolf-like blur but, it was, at least, five feet tall at the shoulder. A scream and a terrified whiny from the front of the line and he urged Arod forward, "Wargs, wargs are attacking !"

When Arod reached the front of the line, Thor jumped off unhooking Mjolnir as wargs with orcish riders swarmed down over the hill. He unslung his bow, nocking two arrows and loosing them - one hit a warg that was trying to eat Hama in the back of the head, the other its orc rider. The wargs eyes were sunken and their muzzles were broader and longer than wolves, but their legs were far shorter.

Rohrrim spears were flashing as they pierced orc and warg skulls and sides. Some of the men screaming as they were pulled off their horses by parrying orcs. Gimli was busy cleaving warg legs and then heads with his battle-axe. Boromir thrust his sword through an orc that was nearly on top of Gimli. "Gimli, you're lucky you happen to be a dwarf or it would have run into you earlier !"

Gimli took out a throwing-axe and it flashed in the sunlight past Boromir's ear into a rearing warg's stomach. Dwarf and man went to bloody work on said warg.

All the while, Mjolnir flew around the battle-field and as he heard pawsteps behind himself, he nocked another arrow, urging Arod to turn and he loosed the arrow into the orc's throat. Arod screamed as they were barreled into from the side by a different warg and thrown over.

As the warg's weight landed on both Arod and him, sharp, yellowed-teeth, rather like Valog's, snapped inches from his face. It was a relief when Mjolnir wielded again by Thor smashed into the warg's skull throwing it off himself and Arod. Thor pulled him out of the saddle and he got to his feet to see Eowyn chopping the head off of the orc and his arrow. He and Thor pushed Arod to his feet, the noise and screams had died, so too had the orcs and wargs.

Theoden called, "Is everyone all right ?"

Hama responded, "I and a few others are injured, more are dead."

Boromir shouted from the far side of the field, "Thor, **Thor**! Aragorn fell off the cliff with a warg."

Thor and Mjolnir rushed into the air and dived over the cliff-edge to appear a minute later with a soaked and unconscious Aragorn. He took Aragorn and put him on Arod, it was rather like after he had first rescued Aragorn 75-odd years ago. Except Aragorn hadn't been wet then or known as Aragorn.

**Flashback**

Air rode up to him on Timbelin as Gail and Mithroch, Air asked, "Who is that, my Prince ?"

It caused him to look down at the young, long dark-brown haired boy who was slumped in front of him on Nimroch. Resisted the urge to shrug as he said, "I know not, but he was accosted by the spiders and I freed him. Truly, he must have wandered far from his home to end up here. We take him to the healer and then my father."

Some time later, they had brought the boy into the palace and to the healer, who agreed with him that the boy just had a few bruises thanks to his timing. The boy suddenly blinked grey-eyes up at him and asked, "Who are you ?"

As he looked about the smooth, grey-stoned room from the healer to the boy, Gail murmured to Air, "How disrespectful.", and walked away.

Tried to reassure the boy with a faint smile, "My name is Legolas Thranduilion, Prince of the Elves of Northern Mirkwood. And you would be whom, little one ?"

"It is good to meet you, Prince Legolas, thank-you for saving me. My name is Estel."

_'Estel ? Did not Father get a message a short while ago about Lord Elrond's adopting a boy called Estel ?'_

"Estel, well, let us 'Hope' that Lord Elrond is not too embarrassed at your running away. I will take you to my father and he will decide what to do with you."

A second later, Estel pouted, "Father is boring, Elladan and Elrohir said it would be fun to go on a trip.", but slowly got up of the bed. Then himself and Air escorted Estel to the throne room, before Air bowed to Father and exited to wait outside.

_'The sons of Elrond will come looking for their little brother then. Least wise he will be safe from the spiders until they arrive.'_

Father sat on his throne raised a hand, "Who is this mortal boy, Legolas, that you would give him audience with me ?"

He walked up bringing Estel with him, "Estel this is my father Thranduil King. Father, this is Estel Elrondion. Apparently, he wandered from his older brothers watch into Mirkwood on an adventure that would have killed him had I not saved him."

Father's lips thinned, "You dishonour Lord Elrond, young Master Estel with your antics. You will wait with Legolas, along with Gaurdself Air until your brothers arrive to take you home."

"B-but, I want to stay here !"

Father's blue-eyes turned cold and he said in his most authorative tone, "You will not."

"Now you sound just like Father."

_'How lucky am I that I have not had to deal with this. Ever should I have children - elfling or no - I should wish that they are not like Estel.'_

**End Flashback**

His memory made him shake his head as he remounted Arod behind Aragorn, _'Glad am I that he has far matured since that time. Thank thee Elbereth for letting him see your light finally on this quest regarding myself. Finally, he may make both Lord Elrond and Elros King proud as an equally great King of Men.'_

Theoden stated, "Help the injured, leave the dead, we must reach Helm's Deep as quickly as possible."

Eowyn walked beside him looking at Aragorn, as he started again towards the fortress.


	47. Scrolls

Loki stood on Treebeard's left hand, which even though Treebeard was walking the ent might as well have been standing still, decided to try something as his shoulder hadn't twitched or spasmed in hours - he unsheathed two of his knves and imagined Valog stood in front of him, a left slash and a right to the lower stomach then he twisted in a spinning upper-cut to the throat.

Breathed deeply as he waited a few seconds for any twitches or spasms, none came. _'I am healed, Valog. Let us, now, see if thine pathetic orc-strength can beat mine own jotun-strength without thy posessing an Asgardian blade. Wait, you cannot, you will cower at the sight of me, of my glorious vengeance and then. You. Will. Die !'_

On that thought, he roared, " **Valog ! Your life ! Is mine !** ",before dark and triumphant laughter spilled from his lips.

As his laughter faded into the trees, Merry stood on Treebeard's shoulder whispered, "Pippin, did the ent-water make him insane ?"

Pippin responded, "No, but it did make us taller by a few inches we're four foot some now."

Treebeard's golden-eyes looked faintly amused at what he didn't know, then Treebeard said, "Young Master Merry said that you came to Arda to regain your honour, Master Loki. Know you now that the ent-draught speeds only the healing of those who are worthy to be counted among the heros of my youth."

_'C-could I truly be...worthy ? Worthy to be counted amongst not only the old heros of this world, but adopted Grandfather Bor ? Mother ?'_

With a rush of wings Huginn and Muninn swept in and landed on his clenched fists. Their tiny, too knowing, black-eyes on his face as he stated, "Huginn and Muninn. Did Father send you little flying rats here to spy on me ?"

Huginn, whose tail feathers were messier than Muninn's, twitched his wings open to reveal a make-shift and slightly cracked, brown-leather harness that held a scroll. It was very much plain, but he recognized the work and it warmed him to see it.

**Flashback**

Fenrir's little red-eyes looked up at him pensively and the five-year old jotun held up the harness. "Is this okay, Father ?"

Chuckled as he looked up at the seven-foot tall, waist-length blond-haired Angrboetha who was suckling their little Jorgmungandr and smiled at him. _'I do love her, but not so much as Thor and she knows this. Least wise, she accepts it and does not judge me as Asgard would.'_

He reached out to take Fenrir's hand in one of his and the harness in the other, "I am **proud** of you, it looks **perfect** , Fenrir. Now, if only we had something to put it on."

Smiled as Fenrir's eyes lit and the boy accidentally shifted into wolf-form from his excitement.

**End Flashback**

Sheathed his knives and his faint smile faded when he looked to the more elaborate dark-golden and black one, carved with Asgardian runes that rested on Muninn's back. _'Has Father finally decided to exile me to Arda ?'_ Neither of the ravens deigned to answer him with mimicked speech and after he had taken their messages flew off. _'Idiotic and arrogant birds, the both of them.'_

Slowly, he unfolded the tiny scroll from Fenrir:

"Dear Father, Mother says hello and, "Have you finally told that idiot yet ?", she is getting quite impatient with you. Jorgmungandr is still on Midgard and Hel in Hel, but they too miss you as Mother and I do. I come along the mountains with a little wolf-pack for your and Grandmother's aid, I expect some time to see 'Uncle' Thor as well. Heill Fenrir Lokison."

Fenrir's letter made his smile return for a second and he thought to himself, _'It is just like Angrboetha to ask that, alas that I have not. Who knows how Thor feels of myself as I was only around him for a few very frustrating hours before I had to leave.'_

Yet, once again, it faded as he opened the letter from Father and his gaze found the first line with his name in it on instinct and he snarled. _'Thor and Mother trust me and yet those fools still think me weak and useless. They would deny a World help simply because of_ _ **my**_ _presence, they are far more horrid than I am. Glad will I be to leave Asgard behind me. No Realm or Kingdom in Arda would leave another to die and be destroyed unless that Realm were Mordor.'_

Then his gaze drifted to the part that was for himself:

"Loki, I know that I have never been the best of fathers, I was terrible as I ignored you for Thor. I should have known how you would feel as I myself was a brother, if the older instead, and my own father favoured my brothers over myself. Yet, I told myself that as you had Frigga you needed me not as too you had Thor. Let me apologize for not telling you the truth myself, I was scared that if you found out, you would go to Laufey and claim him your true father because I never told you I was proud of you. I was proud of Thor, yes when he took down one hundred warriors on Nornheim, but even more of you because you protected him at risk of death when Sif and the others fled. I was blinded by Thor's being my birth son, but you too are my son as much as he. I will try to apologize if ever you come back and I would not blame you should you choose to stay in Arda. Whatever you choose, I am proud of you. Heill Father."

Knew not what to think as he rolled up the scrolls and put them into a hidden pouch on his belt. _'We will see if I decide to go back, if only for your apology Father. I will hold onto this letter as your proof should the Asgardians once again think I lie.'_

In the distance night-time had started to descend and they approached through the cut-down trees Isengard and the tower of Orthanc, the tower of Saruman. _'Let me stir the ents further to war with Saruman. He will lament the day he drove the Fellowship and I into Moria, for driving Gandalf to his, however temporary, death.'_


	48. Prepare

Thor stood on top of the Deeping Wall, looked from the army of uruks and orcs that was filing over the lip of the hill and into the bowl in front of Helm's Deep, to the storm-cloud filled sky. It had taken days for himself, the others and the Rohrrim of the combined West- and East-Folds to prepare for this fight.

**Flashback**

He shouldn't have felt jealous and annoyed of Aragorn's riding on Nimroch with Legolas. After all the dark-brown haired man had nearly drowned earlier, as with the fact he hadn't even told Legolas how he felt. _'It is funny though how Loki was annoyed with me those two mornings, as if for all his smarts Loki couldn't see it. What I myself refused to see for the longest time. I hope Loki will show up with Gandalf, if he would come here could he not also find out how Frodo and Sam are doing ? By shape-shifting into that raven-form he took in Moria and looking for them ? Far better would I feel if I knew how everyone was faring.'_

Distracted from his worries by a woman exclaiming, "Look, Lady Eowyn, it's the Hornburg ! We're safe, we're **safe**!"

Mother who walked beside him said as they started up the slight slope, "There are caves under Helm's Deep they are called the Glittering Caves and that is where most of them will be staying."

When they reached it, he stopped at the top and looked into the bowl. A long dark-grey stone wall stretched across it to stop beside a tower and extending from the tower was an even longer causeway that led to a pair of oaken-doors. As he continued down and then started onto the causeway, his gaze was drawn to the side, to the middle of the wall and an old culvert blocked by just old barred steel.

 _'The only way that the Uruk-hai could breach the wall and it looks weak to my eyes. It looks as if it would snap were I to punch it with not even_ _**half** _ _my strength. That culvert bodes not well for our chances, if the Uruk-hai found some way to break it the Ardanians, apart from Legolas and Gimli, would surely be overwhelmed. There won't be any steel spared to strengthen it. Were Loki here he could cover it in thick ice and they would have a hard time breaking it to get at the culvert itself. Unfortunately, he is not here and we are by ourselves.'_

Legolas had dismounted from Nimroch and was now leading the horse up the causeway when the doors opened from the inside. Dirty, starved looking and raggedly clothed men rushed out pointing rusty blades at the elven-prince, Nimroch and Aragorn. It was only knowledge that these were the, obviously terrified, Eastfold Rohrrim, and pity, that kept him from reaching for Mjolnir. Then the men looked up, past them as they moved aside because of the hooves clicking before Theoden, Hama and Eomer rode up.

"Hail Theoden, Lord of the Ridder-mark."

Watched as Theoden nodded in acknowlgement and asked, "How many men have you left from the attacks ?"

One of the men, who with his past shoulder-length, messy, black-hair and pale-skin looked remarkably like Loki's Asgardian-form, except with dark-blue eyes instead of emerald-green, answered, "Three hundred men, my Lord and we are incredibly grateful for your coming here. We thought you might be more orcs come to finish us at last."

It was the man's voice that broke the illusion, it was too deep and too cold to be Loki's. _'Loki's Asgardian-form was an illusion, Laufey was a jotun and likely Loki's mother was a jotuness, so how ? How can one look as Loki does without illusion or some other magic ? '_

Legolas supported a slightly limping Aragorn into the fortress with Boromir and most of the Rohrrim. He noticed then the family with the laden flat-cart was the last to enter and that they struggled to get up the causeway. Immediately, he went to take the cart-handles from the younger man and his wife.

Sat in the cart the elder murmured, "There's no way that you can take this up by yourself without hurting yourself, son. Let me walk up, I'm getting stiff sitting here any ways."

Chuckled at the elder's words and picked up the cart, "Let me reassure you I am no ordinary Man, Elder, I will not hurt myself."

"Yes, and I am Eorl the Young."

Mother stood by him said, "Great indeed was the first King of Rohan. Five hundred years have the Sons of Eorl roamed this land and with Eru's blessing I pray they will continue to do so."

As he started very easily pulling the cart upward, the elder wondered, "That all our boys should have your strength, young one, we would not be in this position."

The man who looked similar to Loki stared as he entered the tiny entrance-hall that veered sharply right, "My name is Thor Odinson and I am far older than I look, Elder."

Put the handles on the floor after he stopped and turned to help the elder out of the cart. The long white-haired and tan-skinned man replied, "My thanks, Thor, I am Laufin Leofason."

_'Laufin ? Leofason... another child of Laufey, perhaps ? Who is to say that the once-King of Jotunheim did not visit here as well ?'_

Laufin's family thanked him and hurried Laufin on into the fortress, before the Loki look-a-like closed the doors behind Mother and walked past them.

Mother said, "The blood of the Jotnar is here in Arda as they were here for a few years before they left. Obviously, it is strong still in the names of some here, too bad that unlike Loki they will have shared too much blood with Men to have Jotnar magic."

_'Maybe when Loki arrives he can see if some of them have an inkling of it. Perhaps if there are any, he would teach those who do if its possible.'_

After they entered the beige-stone main hall, Laufin and his son were being stopped and given weapons. The young boy who had held the black-pup all the way was now looking nervously at the sword he had taken. As Aragorn approached said boy, Legolas and Boromir approached himself and Mother.

When he looked about the hall, he noticed that Laufin was the oldest and the boy at twelve was the youngest, _'We cannot defend Helm's Deep with these men, most are too old to keep a steady hand and others too unused to weapons.'_

Legolas and Boromir also shared his fears he saw, Boromir muttered, "The ages are so scattered that we barely have two legions full of strong men. What I would not give for Faramir and some of the Ithilien Rangers to appear."

Legolas answered, "All we can do is train them for what little time that we have and hope our own strength is enough until Gandalf arrives three days from now."

**End Flashback**

How quickly the last days had passed in blurs as he had helped Aragorn to train Laufin and young Haleth Hamason. Down the line Laufin, who stood beside Legolas, held a bow and Haleth the sword he'd been given. _'Four hundred mortal Men, Mother, Legolas, Gimli and I against ten thousand Uruk-hai and Orcs. Mother protect us all !'_

Boromir and Aragorn looked grim at the prospects. He raised Mjolnir and summoned the storm to him, lightning struck the hammer while rain poured from the sky and he smiled as the thunder roared. _'To Valhalla or Hel for Asgard and Arda !'_


	49. Helm's Deep

In the pouring rain Legolas loosed another two arrows into the mass of Uruk-hai who rushed at the Deeping Wall, beside him Laufin only loosed his second. Lightning flashed down from the sky to strike a group of closer uruks and send them flying, only for Mjolnir to smash into them in mid-air.

Gimli who stood on Laufin's other side, and on a box, shouted, "Well, don't steal them all, Legolas, let me have some !"

Reached back into his quiver as he replied, "Four, Gimli, I already have four."

Gimli unsheathed his battle-axe, "You're cheating, elf !"

Adjusted his aim downward at the uruks who had gotten ladders out, the first arrow passed through the first orc's throat and a second's heart, the right side of the ladder fell; the second pierced the front left side orc's brain, "Seven ! And how so ?"

"You're taller and you've got that great long-bow, I can't even see over the **top** !"

Farther down the line beside Boromir, Theoden and Hama a wooden ladder slammed into the top of the wall. Uruks and orcs suddenly swarmed up onto the wall as more ladders came up around them. He and Laufin turned to shooting the ropes supporting the nearest ladders to shreds causing them to fall.

Gimli shouted, "Three, no, five !", and he looked over to see Boromir exchanging blows with an orc whileTheoden thrust Herugrim through an uruk's chest. He was also in time to see Gimli head-butt an orc over the wall, before the dwarf was chopping off the nearest ladder-top, and an orc head with it. "Seven, we're tied !"

Under the thunder, as he slung his bow onto his back, there were the screams of the dying. Just like the one as Laufin's firstborn dark-brown haired and green-eyed Morfin, was thrown over the wall. Laufin's secondborn, who looked near to Loki, Vanafin, his dark-blue eyes blazing in fury, started cutting a bloody swath in the crowd of uruks and orcs. _'He definitely looks like Loki now.'_ While he unsheathed his long-knives, his gaze was drawn to the ice spreading from Vanafin's feet, like it had from Loki countless times when his love was stressed.

_'Is he truly related to Loki and Laufey somehow ? He must be !'_

Instinct had him back-slashing with his right knife as an orc tried to get past him, "Eight !" Spun on his heel to thrust his left knife through an uruk's heart as Thor bashed its head in. While he pulled his knife out Thor smiled and scowled terrifingly before rushing past him. Again, he spun to see Thor laying about with the hammer trying to get closer to Haleth who was very close to falling off the back of the Deeping and into the courtyard.

A second later, he'd sheathed his knives and leapt onto the back battlements, jumped from one to another before grabbing Haleth and pulling the boy up beside him as Thor slammed Mjolnir into the floor. The gust of air nearly sent both of them over the wall, but he managed to keep his balance.

Gimli, now, on the very far side of the wall, who was lost somewhere in a circle of uruks replied, "I'm on ten, eleven !" Aragorn was with Vanafin both now trying to thin the circle around Gimli.

He released Haleth and got his bow out as he noticed a line of orcs and uruks on the causeway trying to bash through the doors. As he shouted, "Laufin ! Laufin the **doors**!", arrows flew from the bow without his conscious thought. _'Three, four, fell some more. Five, six, I'll be fletching sticks.'_ Cried, "Fourteen, Gimli !", as the sixth orc fell off the side of the causeway.

Lightning struck the causeway and electrocuted the orcs who had their shields raised to stop some of the Rohrrim, stood on the tower's roof, rocks from falling on them. A giant explosion deafened him and he watched as rock and bodies flew through the air in agonizing slowness, one of those bodies Gimli's to fall into the new hole.

Theoden's voice echoed in the silence, " **Fall back !** Everyone fall back to the keep !"

Before he thought about it, he was rushing the opposite way, shoving through the crowd of Men, Orcs and Uruk-hai. Hard arms caught him around the stomach and Thor was saying, "Aragorn is getting him, Gimli will be fine. He will be fine !", into his ear, then what seemed seconds later he back in the fortress.

His ears rang from the explosion and ached dimly from the cold as he looked about the main-hall to see who was still alive - Frigga who was covered in black orc blood, Boromir, Gimli and Aragorn, along with Laufin, Vanafin, Eomer and Theoden. Just when he'd given up hope of it, Hama entered bleeding heavily and carrying a burned, but alive, for now, Haleth. _'This is all my fault. Not even thirty Men apart from Aragorn, Boromir, Laufin, Vanafin with Eomer, Theoden and Hama survived. If I had stayed at the front of the Deeping Wall, I could have shot down whatever made this happen. Now, little Haleth could surely die because of me. Unless Gandalf arrives we have no hope and Rohan is cast into doom and death. The Fall of Rohan comes because I tried to save it, O' cruel irony.'_

Breath against the side of his neck as Thor's head lay on his shoulder, "It is not your fault, we didn't know this would happen. Gandalf could not have stopped it, not even my mother could have stopped it, so you cannot blame yourself."

Still he couldn't help the guilt that he felt nor the wracking sobs that accompanied the same. If he fell asleep, he remembered not if he dreamed, but when he was fully aware again, it was to see Vanafin comforting Haleth.

The long black-haired man was crouched in front of the brownish-red haired boy, "Your father was a good man, Haleth, and he is in Mandos Halls with your mother, now. He would want you to grieve yes, but not would he want you to dwell on it forever. Live your life the best that you can and he will **always** be proud of you." Vanafin pressed his lips against Haleth's forehead.

Haleth exclaimed, "B-but, what about you, Vanafin ? King Theoden said it's the last stand, I don't want you to die too ! It's not fair !", as the red-coated and silver chain-mailed Vanafin rose.

Vanafin's sorrowful reply, "Life is how you grow stronger and you, Haleth, son of Hama, will be one of the strongest in all of Rohan."

That made him lift his head to look at Aragorn, Thor, Boromir and Eomer who sat on Hasufel, Arod, Tim and Eomer's horse by the entrance door. He picked up his bow and got up, walking to stand beside Arod, he saw then that Theoden was astride his horse with standard-bearers. As the rohrric man unsheathed his sword, Vanafin strode to join him, "We are ready, O' Theoden King."

When Theoden moved up towards the double-doors, they moved into the entrance-hall, the sound of Haleth's running feet. Frigga's voice was stern, "No, Haleth, you are staying here with me. Though, I pray we need not be it, if they fall we must defend the Glittering Caves as long as we can."

Next thing he knew, himself and Vanafin were hewing apart orcs, then an unfamiliar voice echoed from the rise, " **Rohrrim ! To the King !** "

A great roar in response before Gandalf on Shadowfax and a brown-haired man on a dark-horse led hundreds, no, thousands of Rohrrim cavalry charging down the slope. From Gandalf's raised staff came a beam of pure sunlight and he shielded his eyes as the two forces clashed.

With the fresh Rohrrim it took not long for the remaining orcs and uruks to be killed, then Gandalf and the rohrric who'd led the charge rode up the causeway. "Hail Lord of the Ridder-mark."

"Hail and many welcomes Erkenbrand."

Gandalf, as he stopped Shadowfax, looked Vanafin over, "Come with Theoden, the Fellowship, the others and I to Isengard, young Vanafin. For there are those who would meet you."

Vanafin in response looked confused, but it was obvious the man didn't want to argue with the wizard who had just saved his life. "Of course, I would be honoured to accompany the King and yourself."

Seconds later, Thor almost demanded, "Can we finally go to see Loki, Merry and Pippin ?"

Gandalf smiled and replied, "Find Frigga, say your good-byes and then yes, yes, we can."

At those words, he couldn't say his good-byes to Laufin and Haleth fast enough. For the first time in, at least, if not over, a week he would be able to see Loki.


	50. Wolf

Loki smiled as Fenrir in his jotun-form walked out from the remaing tree-line of Isengard trailed by a pack of fifteen vargar.

Merry and Pippin gasped when he was suddenly scooped eight-feet into the air as Fenrir smiled back then said, "Hello, Father. It must be nice not being the shortest being around any more."

He reached up to pat Fenrir's white-blue cheek, "You are lucky, Fenrir, that I haven't seen you in three hundred years or I would ground you for that statement. On the statement though, it is indeed very nice."

"It's nice to see you looking like I thought you should. It was always so odd thinking that I had an Asgardian for a father."

Fenrir put him down and crouched to peer at Merry and Pippin as Pippin exclaimed, "You're huge !"

"This is what Grandfather Laufey wanted Father to look like, obviously it didn't work out. The last time that I was in Jotunheim, I was still one of the tallest Jotnar and Father is still one of the shortest."

That made him ask, "Fenrir, was your mother all right two years ago ?", just before a black wolf jumped on him. As they crashed to the ground, his gaze briefly landed on the white tower of Orthanc and the flooded valley surrounding it. Blinked as he focused on the wolf, he recognized it as the black-furred, golden-eyed pup from months ago whose Father had been killed by Acharn.

Fenrir nodded, "Mother was fine, Father, she figured you were trying to impress **him** again. That Bifrost didn't hit anyone, it did obliterate a mountain though."

"Good, that is very good." _'Thank Eru, I was hoping that was what would happen.'_

The wolf stared at him for a second, sniffing his neck as he refused to look away, he growled and the wolf backed off. Merry looked from Fenrir to himself as if wondering how he could have helped create a truly giant jotun.

Cautiously, Pippin was approaching the wolves as Fenrir asked, "What happened to destroy the great tower, Father ?"

While he got up, he replied, "It's simple really, three days ago, the battle happened like this..."

**Flashback**

In the darkness, the pin-pricks of lit fires flickered around Orthanc's base and smoke billowed from a gaint forge-pit dug into the ground. Treebeard hmpf-ed stopping a few feet out from the dark tree-line, "Saruman will regret the day he cut down my trees."

"Why wait **Fangorn**? If you do he will just let the orcs cut and burn down more and more of your oldest friends. What if while you were gone the orcs killed Fangil and burned the rest of Fangorn to the ground ? He will **never** order them to stop ! What if they find the ent-wives and they kill your dear Fembrethil ? The only way to make them stop is to terrify them into thinking that **any** tree they touch could be an ent waiting to awaken and tear them apart. Make Fembrethil proud when you find her again by telling her that you protected the forest you walked together for **millennium**!"

Treebeard nodded and then let out a howl of angry sounding Entish. Minutes later, he turned to see the ents Oak, Beech, Rowan and Ash along with others and some ent-warriors the Huorns. "Little Masters you are going to stay out of this. The Huorns do not care who they kill with their anger roused if it goes on two legs whether it be Hobbits, Men, Nissrim or Orcs if they are near without entish protection they die."

The Huorns were far swifter than the regular ents and reached the first orcs in seconds. Treebeard bent to tear a piece of rock out of the ground, then threw it into the white tower which shook at the impact.

_'Remind me absolutely never to get Treebeard angry in any capacity.'_

Finally the orcs realized that they were under attack as they started getting kicked and stomped on. That was also when they started responding with swords and, more worryingly, flaming arrows. Oak didn't even seem to notice that he was now on fire, _'Maybe the reason the oak is Thor's tree is because they get along quite well.'_

He leapt from Treebeard's hand, twisting through the air to catch one of the arrows and throw it back at the orc, before grabbing onto the top of Oak's trunk. A second later as he slid, leaping to Oak's right-arm and flipping up onto it, he called, "Oak, do you realize that you are on **fire** ?"

In response, Oak stopped, unintentionally, but helpfully crushing an orc in the process, and looked down then a nonchalant, "Hmm, so, I am, Master Loki, so I am."

Sighed as he dove to cling to the front of Oak's trunk and freeze it, putting out the little fire before it could spread. Nearly fell as he caught another arrow this one that would have given him a bit of a headache had it hit, he snapped it into pieces. _'Why do I not just summon my helmet ? It will look a little ridiculous without the rest of the golden and green plate-armour, but right now, I care not how it looks.'_

With that he willed his golden antler-topped helmet to appear on his head and so it did. Armoured bits gleamed and moved in the moonlight, crawling over a huorn and he imagined the orcs going flying, which they did with quite spectacular screams.

Thusly, he spent the night watching the tower get pummeled with rocks, putting out fires, snapping arrows and, his personal favourite, flying-kicking orcs to be impaled on flaming arrows. Like with the fire in Lothlorien, he was again exhausted as dawn broke. It was, surprisingly, Merry who sat with, and supported him, on Treebeard's hand as an ent on the far side of the valley rumbled, " **Release the river** **!** "

Said ent then punched the grey-stone dam wall, the wall burst and the river quickly started flooding the valley. Treebeard wasn't quite fast enough to raise his hands above the rushing water, resulting in both Merry and himself being swept off into the current.

When something hard slammed into him or maybe it was the other way around everything went black, he regained consciousness to cough up water. Merry's voice, "Pippin, Treebeard, Loki's waking up !"

"You had us quite worried indeed, Master Loki."

He wiped his lips dry, then opened his eyes and raised his head to reply, "You have so little faith in me ? For shame, my friends, it takes more than **mere** exhaustion and drowning to kill Loki of Asgard !"

**End Flashback**

Concluded the feat with, "I had used enough magic that I could hardly move easily the last two days. This is the only day that Treebeard has allowed me free rein of movement."

Pippin was in the process of getting mobbed by wolves that wanted to sniff the red-brown haired hobbit. Fenrir pulled the wolves off of Pippin as he replied "Well, Father I am glad that you are well."

There was a rustling in the far trees and the wolves their hackles bristling, turned and started growling at the noise. He tensed, readying a knife as he wondered if it were finally Valog.


	51. Family

At the sound of growling Legolas urged Arod into the open, the war horse reared at seeing so many wargs, fifteen he counted a second later. That was also when he saw a bald, eight-foot tall jotun in a black, silver-hemmed kilt and gauntlets. _'Fenrir, Loki's son, no doubt.'_

Loki, Merry and Pippin all said simultaneously, "Legolas !"

He laughed as Loki pulled him off Arod, his laughter cut-off by a deep kiss before he ran his hands through Loki's hair. Eventually, he pulled away, mostly it was because Fenrir rumbled, "Better then Thor the Thunder Idiot.", and he couldn't help laughing, nor could Loki.

Thor growled back, "You dare to insult me, Jotun !", as he stalked to glare up at Fenrir, reaching for Mjolnir.

As soon as Thor did that Loki had already knocked him over and roared, "Do not **dare** to pull Mjolnir on **my son, Thor !** Fenrir, apologize. Now."

Ice swept out from Fenrir and it started freezing the lake around Orthanc, "Why should I, Father ?! This **Asgardian** fool is the reason you are here. He let his friends insult you and did **nothing** to stop it ! He tried to kill you ! Just because you wanted Grandfather Odin's approval and he didn't like being shoved aside for even a second. Not to mention all the times he let the others leave you **to die**! At least, the Alf is worthy of your love and devotion, Father, better one of the accepting Alfar than an **arrogant** Asgardian."

Debated as Thor pushed himself up whether to put himself into the way with Loki, then walked to stand beside his first love. Boromir, Aragorn and the others were staring at the argument, while Vanafin was staring at Fenrir's ice.

It looked like Thor was grinding teeth as the Asgardian Prince replied, "I didn't know they were insulting him or leaving him to die. Sif said he just illusioned himself to escape enemy notice, if I had known she was lying I **never** would have left him behind, **never !** As for trying to kill Loki, I had an over-reaction because he was trying to kill my Midgardian friends and when he disappeared I regretted it for the last two years. No matter how many times Mother told me to keep looking, a small part of my mind always that he was dead...that I would never be able to tell him what he really meant to me." Thor took a few steps forward to cup Loki's cheek, "Let Fenrir hate me if he will, but I love you, Loki. Legolas might not see how much you have changed, but I have seen you change remarkably and all for the better."

Almost he felt like laughing again as Loki looked confused, obviously trying to sort out what Thor had said, before Thor looked exasperated and pulled the jotun into a kiss.

He heard Thor's soft mumur of, "You still think too much, but if you didn't I would be dead ten thousand times over by now.", when they stopped and Loki **still** looked baffled.

His gaze drifted to Gandalf, Frigga and Boromir all of whom smiled, Aragorn who looked disappointed and Theoden, Eomer and Erkenbrand who looked slightly uncomfortable and wary. Vanafin had wandered through the wargs, past Merry and Pippin to get a closer look at Fenrir's ice.

To his senses the ground shook slightly as Fenrir walked over to in his turn look at Vanafin. Vanafin jumped when Fenrir asked, "Who be's you, little one ?"

The second son of Laufin responded proudly, "I am Vanafin, son of Laufin, son of Leofa called Laufey."

Gandalf led most of the others a bit away, then Loki chuckled and he followed the jotun over to Vanafin, "I am Loki Laufeyson, Bergelmirson. I who would have been Prince of Jotunheim had he not abandoned me to a potentially long and painful death. Your father Laufin is my half-brother and you Vanafin Laufinson are my half brother-son. This is my oldest son, Fenrir Vargfaethir."

_'Fenrir is the father of Yggdrasil's wargs ? Is that why all these wargs are here ?'_

Vanafin raised his eyebrows as he turned from the thick ice to look at Loki, "How can I be related to you besides that strange magic ? You hardly look like me at all." Vanafin's tone suggested he was caught half way in between anger, disbelief and slight fear.

Frigga and Thor couldn't contain their laughter. Frigga replied, "Loki show him if you will, what you used to look like for the last one thousand, three-hundred and ninety-eight years before you came here."

_'He's one thousand four-hundred years old ? So, Angrboetha had Fenrir when Loki was one thousand one-hundred years old. That means Fenrir is, at least, three hundred years old and I'm, approximately, two hundred years older than him.'_

He watched as Loki moved to stand beside Vanafin and shifted into his Asgardian-form, emerald-green eyes glowed in stark-contrast to the pale-skin and long black-hair. _'Doesn't he look gorgeous ?'_

Thor's arm slid around his waist and he leaned against the Asgardian, Thor said, "Compare yourself to him, friend Vanafin, you do indeed look like him."

Vanafin did so, then looked at himself and Thor for comparison before nodding still in disbelief. "Loki, how then can you look so young if you are so much older than my father ?"

"I am a full-blooded jotun, a frost-giant, as is Fenrir, our lives span thousands of years. Obviously, this is not fully so for half-jotun's. Whereas you are very young to me, I am very young to many Asgardians, much less the oldest of Jotnar who knew my Great-great Grandfather Ymir when he lived. Have you summoned the ice before Vanafin ?"

As the boy looked confused, he answered, "He did, Loki, when his older brother Morfin was thrown off the Deeping Wall in our battle against the orcs and uruks at Helm's Deep last night."

Loki laughed, "I thought that was you last night, Thor, it was incredibly bright. I hardly got any sleep, but you all are alive, so I think that I can forgive you my rough night, loves. For you, Vanafin, like Fenrir and I did, you need to learn to control your ice magic."

Suddenly, Gandalf stated sharply, "Pippin, be a good lad and give me that, quickly, now, quickly. We must take it to Minas Terith, will yourself and Loki be accompanying Pippin and myself, Boromir ?"

Loki's appearance shifted back to his jotun-form and those red-eyes looked sad. _'We just barely see him again and now he's going to leave already ? Well, he did promise Boromir to go with him to Gondor.'_

Saw that Gandalf had just covered something in his white-robes as Boromir said, "Fenrir, Legolas and Thor may come with, can they not ? They only just barely found Loki after years in Fenrir's case or weeks, in Legolas and Thor's case away. It wouldn't be fair to keep them from each other, now. Also, it sounds as if Vanafin should come with as well, if you agree Theoden, only so that he doesn't almost kill someone, like Loki did with that Glam elf."

Theoden called, "We will be safe without the son of Laufin though we will miss him while he is gone. Good-luck in Gondor, my friends."

With those words, the five of them made their way over to Gandalf, Pippin and Boromir. It was discussed then that Aragorn, Frigga, Gimli and Merry would be staying with Eomer, Théoden and Erkenbrand in Rohan for a few days before joining them in Gondor.

_'Minas Terith is four days ride from here. Well, I suppose Thor, Loki and I do need quite a bit of time to catch up considering all the things that have happened. Loki and Fenrir can teach Vanafin whenever we stop to eat or some such.'_


	52. Intrest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fljotr - 'Swift'

While green grass, yellow wheat and a slowly darkening sky passed them by, Loki laid his head on Legolas shoulder and looked down at Thor. Thor who was running beside them and, of course, keeping up without pause. Arrayed around the horses and Fenrir, who was in his mainly dark-grey furred and black-footed wolf-form, were the Misty Mountain Foothills Pack.

A few seconds later, he asked, "And why do you refuse to ride a horse now, Thor ? You had no problem before we went to Jotunheim. Certainly, you didn't have a problem in Lothlorien." _'Especially since you begged me for a second time.'_

At his words, Boromir, who rode with Vanafin on the ironically black-furred horse,Tim, broke into laughter obviously remembering watching himself, Legolas and Thor go off together to the tent.

"To be honest, Loki, horses aren't that interesting to me anymore." In front of him, Legolas choked on his laughter, he smirked. Up ahead of Arod, on Shadowfax with Pippin, even **Gandalf** laughed.

Vanafin joked, "I have never heard that said in jesting more than Rohan. You always go back to the horse, Thor, **always**. They're very warm and they don't protest that much."

By the joke, Thor realized what he'd implied and hastily continued, "Not that they were in the first place ! I may be an idiot, but even I have standards. And I apologize for calling you a fucked cow years ago, not only should I never have done it, but I was jealous that you looked far better than I."

 _'At least, my instincts were wrong and he_ _**does** _ _have morals. Oh, and that he, in fact, was_ _**not** _ _overly fond of Fljotr, like he appeared to be when we were younger. Horses do not make good lovers, they're just awful. All about themselves, they ask to be fucked and then the greedy little bastards never let you finish. Knowing what I do now, I never would have touched those horses.'_

Raised his head slightly, half-pushing his hair out of his face, "You're forgiven and, of course, I did, Thor. I **always** look better than you."

Bright-blue eyes slid over himself and Legolas both as Thor licked his lips. "Indeed you do."

It had taken them from when they had left until now, just a few hours after late mid-day/early evening, to get close to Edoras. The wolves as they approached the walled-off city stopped and everyone else stopped as well.

Fenrir re-took his jotun-form to say, "Those beasts we've been smelling dimly, one of them passed right by here."

"It has to have been Valog !"

"Valog ? The orc that would have lamed you if not for the ent-water ?"

"Yes, Thor, that Valog ! You don't know any other Valogs nor even the one I know. Are we going to stop so that Thor can rest, Gandalf ? Fenrir and I can teach Vanafin as well."

Gandalf nodded as he lowered Pippin from Shadowfax, "Yes, but only for a while."

So, he dismounted from Arod, falling into Thor because of how close the Asgardian stood. It made him ask as he remembered how much Thor had touched him in the tent, even more than Thor had Legolas, "You just can't keep your hands off me can you, Thor ?"

While Thor let go of him, the blond replied quietly, "Smart, deadly and pretty who in their right mind could ? Even though I repressed it and told myself it was a joke, you don't know how much I wanted to kiss you two years ago."

_'He remembers those few minutes from before I ruined his coronation ? How lucky for me.'_

Legolas dismounted, "Compared to how I know you Thor, I don't think I would have liked knowing you two years ago. You would have acted far too much like Aragorn used to when Loki and I started out from Imladris."

He turned and Legolas and Thor's hands both brushed his leather-clad hips as he slid past them. When Thor's hand brushed Legolas's the elf let out a tiny yelp at the shock.

"My apologies dear Legolas."

_'Thor tells me how he feels and yet he doesn't tell Legolas ? He was staring at Legolas when he mounted Arod this morning like he wished it was him. That night was not just a one-night encounter for any of us. Really, I think it just kicked off this already spectacular love-triangle into overload. I was in love with Thor and Legolas, Legolas was in love with me and he's started falling in love with Thor. Now, the fact that Thor is, at least, subconsciously, in love with both of us. How is this going to work out ? Two of us, all of us or none of us ?'_

Fenrir and Vanafin joined him in the circle of horses and they sat down. Fenrir wondered, "How did you feel when Morfin was thrown over the Deeping Wall, Vanafin ?"

It made him smile as he saw Pippin start practicing with his spear and Gandalf's along with Boromir's encouragement of the youngest hobbit. Pippin was far better than a few days ago, he'd been continuing their lessons as much as he could the last two, what with hardly being able to demonstrate.

"I was angry and scared that I was going to lose Father as well. Everything seemed to get colder and that was it. Is, is that normal ?"

Both himself and Fenrir replied at the same time, "Yes, it's harder to control when you're feeling incredibly strong emotions."

Continued by himself, "It can be controlled for a short time though with the use of El Varda. As my mother said years ago and Treebeard days ago too much of it is deadly. Now, try to imagine there is water in the grass around us, then try to imagine first one water-drop freezing before another."

_'Though, I am glad that I finally managed to get more blom stiarna from Mother.'_

A few feet away Thor wondered, "Legolas, does Arda have any creatures approaching the ferocity of bilgesnipes ?"

"In this Age ? No, but in the Second and especially, the First Ages there were great dragons created by Morgoth."

"Who is Morgoth ?"

"Morgoth was, once under a different name, one of the Valar, the most powerful of them to ever descend into Arda. When Feanor the Smith invented the most beautiful jewels in all of Valinor and Arda, the three Silmarili, Morgoth went crazy in his lust to have them and stole them."

He listened to the two of his loves talk about both the First Age of Arda, the first Silvan Elves and Bor's reign of Asgard as he had not much else to do. It took two hours of, understandable, failure on Vanafin's part considering what he'd done last night, along with demonstrations from himself and Fenrir before the man managed to freeze a small patch. _'He's doing incredibly for a conscious effort, especially since he has not the increased motivation I did with Glam's jeering and then the spiders.'_


	53. Fish

Legolas was having a nice dream before he was startled out of his sleep by something wet and scaly slapping him in the face. This was followed by an enormous thudding, then snarling from the wolves as he pulled a gigantic fish off his face and opened his eyes.

 _'This is disgusting, I'm going to smell like fish_ _**all day**_ _, unless I find a stream.'_

The part of Gondor they found themselves in was mainly grassy plains and the snow-topped White Mountains in the nearing distance. Somewhere on the eastern edge of the mountains was Boromir's home.

Another jotun's voice, "Shut up before I eat you, stupid, little furry-assed shits. No offense, brother, Father."

Feet away from him he heard Loki say, "Jormungandr, you found one of Midgards secret paths. Apart from hitting Legolas with a fish, that was nicely done."

_'At least, there wasn't any- **seriously** ?'_

In time with his thoughts, tonnes of water suddenly fell from the sky to douse all of them. On his other side, he heard Thor scramble to push himself up with a gasp. _'Well, I don't have to worry about smelling like fish anymore.'_

Obviously angered, Thor demanded, "What are **bilgesnipes** going to fall from the sky next ?"

Vanafin, who had been having his lesson, countered, "I don't know what those are Thor, but don't give them the idea to go swimming. Considering how this day has started if those creatures don't drown, they **will** fall from the sky. On the bright-side, we've got fish for breakfast. Do you think it'll taste like Elf since it fell on Legolas ?"

He countered with, "If I throw it on you, Vanafin, will it taste like roast Man ?", and stood up to see just how big the fish was. His response caused Boromir who also had startled from just getting off his watch to chuckle.

Pippin too got up to look at the fish, it was also a helpful size comparison as the grey, arrow-headed, long-bodied fish was bigger than Pippin. The hobbit looked fearfully up at the sky, "I-it's not going to rain fish is it ? I don't want to be crushed to death. Thor can you control falling fish ?", as he half-cowered under his vertically held spear.

Thor answered with, "I'm sorry, Pippin, but fish are out of my control."

The eight and a half foot tall Jormungandr laughed, "Fish may be out of his control, but both fish **and** rain are under mine. Stick with us, young Pippin and I'll make sure they stay away from you. Say that's quite the spear you've got."

Jormungandr walked to loom over them all, he wore a pair of shiny, dark-blue/black pants with a scale-like pattern and a silver-scaled tunic. Interestingly, whereas Fenrir had none whatsoever, Loki's second son had some fuzz-like, blond hair on his head.

_'Loki has hair, Jormungandr has hair, but Fenrir doesn't and he's the hairest in shape-shifting forms ? Laufey apparently was bald too, do Jotnar males just not have hair that often ? Do Loki and Jormungandr have more blood from their mothers then ?'_

As Pippin showed Jormungandr his spear imbued with Loki's magic, Loki was digging around in the packs for dry cloaks and blankets to pass out. While he accepted Loki's black cloak, the wargs came up to sniff the strange frill-tailed fish. After which Loki let him, reluctantly, borrow a knife to start cleaning the fish with Boromir's help.

Boromir muttered, "Where did such a strange fish come from ? Never in my life have I seen such a beast. You are far older than I, have **you** ever seen this creature before, Legolas ?", while he cut off the fish's head.

Blank, black-eyes stared at him as the tiny, reverse-grip, dagger-like teeth gapped at him. Quickly, he threw the head away with a shudder, "I have never been to a sea, but I think it is safe to say that it came from Midgard and nor have I. It looks like something out of a nightmare."

Gandalf, who all this time had sat a few feet away, started a fire on the edge of the camp. When he looked around a few minutes later, Jormungandr was examining Pippin's spear, Loki and Fenrir were watching Vanafin and Thor was...wrestling with the wargs ?

_'I suppose he has to do something to pass the time. He could have just summoned some lightning so Gandalf didn't have to light the fire by hand. Today we should finally reach Minas Tirith. Even though he's not showing it, Boromir must be excited to see Faramir again.'_

Boromir looked up to stare at the White Mountains and then east to the darkness of the black Shadow Mountains and Mordor, "When we are done with Faramir and my father, we should go looking for Frodo and Sam. I care not if those horrid dreams return when I near the Ring, they have been alone for far too long with it."

Nodded as he looked up wishing more of the strange water would fall from the sky, so that he could return the knife to Loki. This time the water did not oblige him and he sighed before settling to wiping the Asgardian blade on the grass. _'Frigga, please, please let them be alive and unharmed ! We've avoided permant deaths for the Fellowship until now, so let it continue I pray.'_


	54. Minas Tirith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Old Norse/Asgardian translation: Ae - 'Ever, forever'

It confused Loki when Legolas called, "Gandalf, something huge and winged, a **dragon** -like Fellbeast is attacking a group of riders who are crossing the Pelennor Fields and nearing the White City."

On the far horizon was the seven-tiered, along with seven walled one for each tier according to Boromir, white-stone city/fortress and currently sunlit blur of Minas Tirith. Just visible to him under a mass of black-cloud from Mordor was a fast-moving, dark-shape in the sky that dived toward the golden/brown-grassed plains.

Boromir asked, "Legolas, can you see what the riders look like ?"

"Six, five were just swept off their horses. The one still left on his horse has long, curly brown-hair, on his tunic is the White Tree of Gondor."

That caused Boromir to spur Tim forward, nearly knocking Vanafin off the back, as he started shouting, "Faramir ! **Faramir !** " The vargar led by Fenrir charged ahead of them after the Steward's heir.

Gandalf shook his head, "Legolas, Thor help me stop it before that fool gets them all killed."

Arod and Shadowfax sped up as did Jormungandr, while Thor took to the sky and summoned lightning to hit the flying beast. The beast nearly hit the ground which was when Fenrir and the vargar jumped on its back to attack its rider. He leaned back as Legolas unslung his bow and offered the elf his first arrow which twanged off the string seconds later.

They had gotten close enough to see the beast up-close under Fenrir and the vargar bodies. It had a lean, black-skinned, dragon-like body with four legs, two giant wings along with an incredibly long neck and short snout filled with sharp teeth, while its eyes were a very dark, almost black-red. Seconds later, Fenrir and the vargar were sent flying through the air to thud into the ground before the Fellbeast took off as Gandalf shot a beam of sunlight at it.

Jormungandr had started to pick up the fallen riders and Fenrir shifted back into jotun-form and took the last three, then following them as they thundered through the open gates into the city.

The streets of Minas Tirith were grey cobble-stone and swarming now with not only people, but horses and vargar. Boromir and Faramir had dismounted and were hugging, it reminded him of when he'd gotten back to the clearing on Vanaheim, except very much **less** painful.

**Flashback**

He looked about the cedar clearing he found himself in, the clearing that he, Thor, Hogun, Fandral, Volstagg and that bitch had appeared in days earlier, he was stood in the center of the Bifrost's marks. Leaned on his spear as Ae the old, grey-eyed, long silver-haired woman who had saved his life walked away.

Almost he wanted to call after and thank her, but pride kept him from the doing of it. _'I scared those bandits away like she wanted. It is not like she told me to say it aloud.'_

Instead he asked, "Heimdall ? Are you ready or must I wait even longer than I have already ?"

Seconds later, the Bifrost thundered down around him, he barely managed to project the illusion of walking perfectly straight past the Bifrost Guardian, instead of clutching his right side and half-staggering from the pain like he really was. Then Thor's arms wrapped around him in a crushing embrace and he hid his grimace by lightly returning the hug.

**End Flashback**

Fenrir and Jormungandr had walked to stand beside Arod before putting down the Gondorians as he dismounted from the white horse. _'I still like Nimroch better, but Arod is a good horse.'_

The Rangers looked from himself to his sons and back before one of them asked, "Who are you ? What are you ?"

He answered, "I am Loki Niss, son of Laufey. These are my sons - Fenrir and Jormungandr, we are of the Nissrim."

A few murmurs then not just from the Rangers, but regular citizens, "People of the Frost ? I thought them mere legend."

One of the black-haired Rangers wondered, "You are King of Nissrim, no ?"

_'King of the Nissrim ? 'Father' is dead, 'Mother' is dead, I suppose that I am indeed King of Jotnar. Even if I wanted to go to Jotunheim, they have gone without a king for two years, it's not like they need a king. If they would even accept me for who I say I am considering that 'Father' did look like me.'_

Before he could answer, Thor's hand landed on his shoulder, "He is, but he doesn't like to mention it with how far away we are from the Realm."

Resisted the urge to glare and it was with old pride and new embarrassed humility mixed with anger at Thor, that he nodded when the Rangers put a fist over their hearts and half-bowed, saying, "Thank thee, Loki King."

Vanafin half-jumped into the conversation, "We must go and see the Steward, musn't we Gandalf, Loki ?"

Gandalf responded, "Forgive us, but we must indeed, we have wasted enough time and I'm sure Denethor wants to see his sons as well."

Quickly, he remounted Arod as Boromir climbed onto Tim, then Arod, Shadowfax and Faramir's horse started along the crowded streets. While they rode people called to Boromir and congraulated him, nearly completely ignoring Faramir. _'Hopefully, Boromir, Faramir and I can change Denethor's opinion on his youngest son with Gandalf's help.'_

Eventually, they reached the seventh tier and a great courtyard with a tall, bare leaved mallorn tree that was planted in the middle of it. Not nearly as great as the ones in Lothlorien, it was still grand in its own right. Pippin muttered something to Gandalf about, "That tree, I saw that tree before !"

_'Saw it ? Wherever could he have seen it before ? He's never been in Rohan, much less Gondor, before in his life up until he was 'kidnapped' by myself and actually kidnapped by Valog.'_

Gandalf answered, "It is the White Tree of Gondor and it will not bloom until the line of Kings is restored to the throne."

Thor stared at him as he and Legolas dismounted, he glared at the Asgardian Prince for his earlier comment of Kingship. Slowly, he, Gandalf, Boromir and Faramir approached the Citadel and throne room of Gondor.


	55. Archery

Legolas watched as the Citadel's white doors closed behind Loki, Gandalf, Boromir and Faramir, then his gaze drifted to Thor and Pippin on either side of him. Pippin was flipping his spear around when some of the silver-plate helmeted and armoured guards approached to take and stable the horses. When he saw how the ice spiral in the spear was shimmering, he couldn't help pulling out the arrow that Loki had imbued for him as they rode yesterday.

**Flashback**

He kept wondering, _'Loki put his magic into the spear when he was making it, but does he_ _ **have**_ _to make it to imbue it ? Or can he take an already existing object and imbue it as well ?'_

Twisted to look at Loki and ask, "Of course, you don't have to if you don't want to, but Pippin's spear is so interesting. Do you think you could try making an ice arrow for me ?"

As Loki took out an arrow, the jotun replied, "I know not if it will work, but I could try to do it, yes."

It surprised him when Loki started singing and it surprised Thor so much he tripped and fell flat on his face. The Asgardian language was far harsher sounding than Sindarin, but it was no less beautiful in its own way.

**End Flashback**

The arrow was slightly cold to the touch and when the sunlight hit the arrow it glittered. A few seconds later it dimmed, then he put it back in his quiver.

Pippin stated, "I'm going to go see what Jor is doing.", then turned and started back towards the down-facing ramp that eventually led to the sixth tier.

No matter how hard he tried Pippin absolutely could not get the rythm of saying Jormungandr's name. Both because it was so long and because the hobbit hadn't caught to on how similar Asgardian language was to Westron in some aspects. _'Not that I can blame him for having trouble. After all, I had Loki teaching and explaining it to me for months before this, while he didn't.'_

Thor wondered, "Should we stay here until they come out again ?"

That made him shake his head, "They could be in there for hours, Thor. Better that we find somthing to do ourselves until they find us. I could do with some archery pratice."

One of the nearest guards, who stood in front of the tree, spoke up, "There is a range down on the fifth tier. It's one of the best and best maintained because Captain Faramir and his Rangers use it often when they are, seldomly, home. How the Steward treats the Rangers and can constantly dismiss Faramir is a tragedy in itself and not befitting of the Steward's Office."

_'Someone, at least, sympathizes with Faramir.'_

"Thank-you, Gaurd ?"

"Gaurd Thoron, son of Morthoron."

_'Eagle, son of Dark-eagle, that is quite the name to live up to. Something tells me he can manage it.'_

After thanking Thoron, he and Thor made their way down the ramp. Many of the people they passed stared at him because like in Rohan they had only heard stories of Elves passed down from the Second Age. It surprised him that Thor was content to stay by his side when they found the archery range, when they entered the straw and wood targeted range only a few men were there, but they quickly left.

Thor wondered, "How do Loki, Pippin and yourself do it, Legolas ?"

"Do what, Thor ?"

"Use spears and knives and bows. They're so...flexible and breakable, well, expect for Pippin's spear and that ice-arrow of yours because of Loki's spell."

All he could do was laugh, "They're complex to use when your first learning and they require flexiblity yes, but its very useful when you have multiple targets and your weapon breaks. Then you can just use the pieces as make-shift knives, whether throwing or regular, to kill them quickly. Maybe I can teach you with a bow, since Loki is teaching Pippin the spear."

There weren't many bows left in the miniature armoury for those who had none of their own. Still, he helped Thor pick a long-bow and quiver made of oak and dark-leather, since even half of Thor's strength would snap a shorter bow, and he still didn't know if **this** bow would last.

_'This should be entertaining whether he manages to nock an arrow or not.'_

Firstly, he noticed that Thor's grip kept sliding to the bottom of the bow, away from the leather grips. Thor looked embarrassed at having to be corrected on his grip, before the Thunder God promptly snapped the bow-string by pulling back too hard.

_'He'll have to use one of my hairs then or else he'll just keep snapping the strings.'_

When he pulled one of his hairs loose and took the bow, Thor wondered, "Why are you doing that ?"

While he tied the new string, he answered, "We Elves can't use Man-made bow-strings because we have more strength than they were made to stand. As such, we make our own strings from our hair because its strong enough to stand all the impact and wear of time just like ourselves. An elven-hair string will never snap of its own violation, so if you get the hang of it, you should have use of it for thousands of years until Arda dies."

Slowly, Thor accepted the bow, staring at it before plucking once the string in wonder. So it was that he started the hard task of trying to teach Thor Odinson, Prince of Asgard, to be an archer.


	56. Denethor

In front of Loki and Gandalf on the dark-red carpet Boromir and Faramir were approaching their father. He looked about the white-walled room, down the aisle lined with granite statues of old Kings. There were two white-stone hewn thrones - the closest and shorter one was the Steward's where Denethor an older, pale-skinned and lank black-haired man in black-robes sat. While the throne farther away and up on the dais was the King's.

Himself and Gandalf stopped a few feet from the throne behind the sons of Denethor. Denethor got up from his throne to embrace Boromir, saying, "Finally my son has returned to Gondor."

Boromir shook his head and pushed himself away from his father, "Father, Faramir was nearly killed by some sort of Fellbeast from Mordor."

It angered and disgusted him when Denethor brushed it off with, "Yes, yes, they have been attacking us for some time lately."

_'T-that fucking bastard ! How dare he say such a thing at all, much less in directly in front of Faramir. Least ways, my own 'Father' cared not for me as he abandoned me years before I let him in, then confronted and killed him. Denethor has no such excuse, he should not be making such excuses ! Not even Father would have brushed off my near death so callously.'_

Only Gandalf's head-shake saved the Steward of Gondor from having a lethally split skull.

"Father, how would you feel if it were I that was nearly killed ? Would not you be angry and readying to attack Mordor now ?"

Said Steward glared at Boromir, "Of course, I would be !"

The feeling that Boromir had glared back at Denethor doubled when the Steward startled, before Boromir shouted, " **Then why do you not do so for Faramir !** "

Denethor moved from Boromir to sneer at Gandalf, "Why should I when he loves being the Wizard's apprentice ? Surely, Gandalf will have taught him some **magic** to protect himself. Doubtless, it was **Gandalf** who saved him was it not ?"

Finally, he just couldn't stand being useless and rushed past Faramir to slam Denethor back into his throne, one of his knives at the man's throat. Barely held back a raor as he snarled, "It was not merely Gandalf who saved him. Myself, my loves and my oldest son Fenrir helped to save him ! Whilst both of my sons rescued the rest of Captain Faramir's Rangers. If I hear you make one more disparaging comment about Faramir I will slit your throat and snap your neck to make sure you are dead, you do not deserve to be a **father**!"

To his surprise and Denethor's credit, the man did not flinch and instead returned his vitriol with sarcasm, "I am Denethor, son of Etheclion, Steward of Gondor. Who are you, little boy ?"

Put a little embellishment on the title even though it was true, as he knew by Denethor's grimace at saying, "Steward.", it would anger the man, "I am Loki, son of Odin, **King** of Nissardh !"

It did indeed cause Denethor to turn an interesting shade of red, the man snarled wordlessly as fear and anger warred in the grey-eyes, fear won.

_'Just what sort of myths are there about Jotnar in Middle-Earth ? Elrond said that he saw my great-uncle Fain or White the Six-headed in the Second Age and Treebeard collaberated on it. Surely Bergloki even at twenty feet tall couldn't inspire such terrific myths. How lucky I am that 'Father' told me so much of the Ymir blood to convince me it was true.'_

Faramir spoke up for the first time, "Father, we must attack Mordor so that the Ring-bearer can reach Orodruin and destroy it."

He pulled his knife away and sheathed it, before, "Frodo is alive ! Was there another hobbit with him ?", was echoed by not only himself, but Boromir while Gandalf nodded.

_'Frodo is alive, there is still hope for Arda yet ! What of Sam ? Frodo would not have gotten far without Sam, he would have given up first.'_

While he walked down to Gandalf, Faramir said, "Yes, his name was Sam and they were accompanied by a very strange creature called Gollum. They all were headed past Minas Morgul and through the Morannon, the Black Gate, into Mordor last I heard of their plans."

Denethor heaved a great sigh, "Boromir, go with Faramir tomorrow and see if you cannot re-capture Osgiliath. Only when you have done that will I think of attacking Mordor itself. Good luck, Faramir."

"Thank-you, Father, we will be victorious or die trying."

For the first time he saw coherence in Denethor's eyes that if tomorrow failed he would lose **both** of his sons.

With those plans made and Faramir and Denethor's relationship somewhat mitigated for a while, they took their leave of the Steward of Gondor. _'I hope that the others have had better times than we did.'_

Outside the sky was completely black, not a single ray of starlight could penetrate through the strange cloud from Mordor.


	57. Wit

Legolas, Loki, Thor and Gandalf with Fenrir, Jormungandr and Pippin watched as Boromir and Faramir led a column of horse-mounted soldiers towards the gates. White flowers were being given to the men and thrown to be crushed under the horses hooves releasing a sweet scent into the air. Remembered last night when Thor and himself had met Loki, Boromir, Gandalf and Faramir outside the Citadel.

**Flashback**

As he and Thor walked up, Thor had his new bow slung across his back the sight of it made Loki ask, "You managed to teach him something, Legolas ?"

Gandalf chuckled when he said, "He only wanted to learn because of how flexible you and I are, Loki."

"Well, will the miracles never cease ?"

Faramir turned from beside Boromir to look beside himself at Loki and bowed, "Ever you have my greatest thanks, O' King of Nissardh, for helping to convince my father of my worth."

The black-haired head shook, "It is only because my birth family is dead, my 'mother' killed by my 'father' and him by mine own through a game of wit to defend my once-home that I am King of Nissrim, thank Loki of Asgard, not the King who does not exist. It was not only my skill at knife and wit that convinced him, but whatever stories there are of my and my sons people here."

"Very well, thank-you, Loki of Asgard. How can you not know of the stories of your own people ?"

He and the others followed Boromir and Faramir away past Thoron, down an alley toward a white-stone hall before Loki answered, "I was not raised with the stories and legends of my birth people. Will not you oblige myself, so that I might tell Fenrir, Jormungandr and Hel ?"

Pippin called, "W-wait up, Valar, you guys are fast."

Pippin's voice made him turn to see that Jormungandr and Fenrir followed behind the hobbit, then Fenrir wondered, "What stories of might or wit might we be told ?"

"Ones of the Nissrim and thy ancestor Fain's courage in helping the Free People of Arda against Morgoth the Enemy in the First Age."

They had to stop outside of the hall because Loki's sons were too big to fit inside, so they sat on the steps before some food was brought. While they ate Faramir started to tell a story, "Long ago in the days before Gondor and even the kingdom of our birth, ancient Numenor, great evils wandered Arda to kill, destroy and rule. Men, Dwarves and Elves fought trying to defeat it, but were unable. During the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, there were many dragons. Suddenly, a great snow and ice rained from the sky before beings tall as trolls and tougher than dwarves with skin like blue-ice fell to ground. For a second, the battle stopped as the greatest of them rose clothed in snow and six-headed, the being charged for the nearest dragon as ice came from its feet. Fain the Six-headed did what so many had died trying to do, kill the dragon Gostir or 'Dread glance' in the Elven tongue with freezing from the weight of its gaze. Even with the help of the Nissrim so many people died that day, even some among the Nissrim."

Loki had leaned against and the jotun's mildly interested look had turned wondering and awed, "If only we were able to do such."

Boromir reached over and clasped Loki's shoulder, "Nay, you do much more than slaying a dragon. You help us and bring us all hope without caring should you die beside us and we are grateful."

Gandalf nodded, "Hope is something that we all need in these dark times. As we may not see you much tomorrow morning, Faramir, Boromir, we pray for your safe return to us."

**End Flashback**

When the soldiers of Gondor had exited the gates, he and the others shared looks. Now, all they could do was hope that their friend and new friend survived so that they could help Frodo and Sam.

To distract themselves, he and the others went to the training area on the fifth tier. Thor asked, "Legolas, would you spar with me ?"

In answer he unsheathed his knives and Thor unhooked Mjolnir. The Asgardian Prince rushed at him swinging Mjolnir, he blocked the strike, pushing back and then away. He rolled out of the way of the downward swing and slashed at Thor's ankles. His slashes were jumped over before Mjolnir slammed against Helegskera, before the mallorn spear was slammed into Thor's chest and the spear-butt cracking against Thor's right-cheekbone.

Laughter from everyone else as Thor was sent tumbling through the air to hit the cobbled grey-stone and rub his cheek. Thor murmured, "You're cheating by helping him, Loki."

"Am I indeed ? I never heard Legolas agree to your terms and thusly say that I could **not** help him, now, get up."

"Why do you have to be so smart ?" Was asked by Thor as Mjolnir slammed into Loki's chest as he got up.

Ice spread from Loki as the jotun answered, "Someone had to have the wit to clean up the situations your brawn got us into."

Pippin rushed in as well to throw himself on Thor's legs as he spun into an upper-cut. Thor bent back out of the upper-cut's way, but fell from Pippin's grip on his legs and Loki's jab at his right-calf.

His upper- and lower-cuts were skillfully dodged by Thor, along with the rocks that were thrown by Pippin until Jormungandr rushed at the Asgardian Prince with an ice-sword.

The rest of the sparring session was a blur that ended with faint bruises on all of them, throughly distracted people and laughter at how it had ended up being a four-way fight against Thor - that ended in a tie.

It surprised him when there was a burst of cheers and he looked up to see not just the regular citizens cheering, but Gandalf was smiling as well. _'Hope will help us all with this coming fight when we reach Mordor finally. Besides our loves and friendships, hope will be the only thing that we have to help us should we falter.'_


	58. Wounds

Loki didn't know what to think when a cry of, "Healers, someone get the healers !", dimly echoed up from the first tier gates. _'Boromir and Faramir ! Two days and they are back already ? It should have taken longer than that.'_

Got up off his bedroll as Thor startled awake, leapt over Pippin's sleeping form, which lay in the middle of the floor for some reason, and ran out of the room. When people and carts got in his way, he jumped over them or leapt off the walls over them as he didn't have his spear with.

Finally, he got to the first level gates to see Legolas was picking a bleeding Boromir from Tim's saddle. He looked around for Faramir and saw him standing near by, then he rushed to catch the youngest of the Steward's sons as Faramir fell. When the comparitive boy landed in his arms, he saw the curly brown-haired man had two arrows sticking out of his back.

_'Where are the damned healers ? All of them are injured in some way, Boromir and Faramir some of the worst of the lot.'_

He took Faramir to the infirmary with Legolas carrying Boromir beside him. _'How can they hope to survive with the healers they have here ? They don't even have Soul Forges to find any inside bleeding, they could die even if they get the arrows out safely. If I knew healing magic or Lord Elrond were here they would be safe, yet no one here knows the healing magics.'_

Watched one of the healers extract the arrows from Faramir's back as Vanafin carried in a red-haired, tan-skinned man with a sword wound to his side. Just like Legolas, Boromir and Thor said Helm's Deep had been, so had Osgiliath. Nearly everyone was either wounded, dying or dead.

There were too many wounded for all the healers to handle, so he moved to freeze and temporairly remove the minor wounds. Some time later, Denethor was punching him in the face before clutching his hand with a glare.

The Steward of Gondor spat, "This is **your** fault, if you hadn't threatened me I wouldn't have authorized that mission and they wouldn't be dying !"

Slowly, he nodded, "That is partially so yes, but who is to say they wouldn't have ended up wounded so in Mordor ?"

"Don't play elf-games with me, Ice-foot, or I swear I will find some way to kill you !"

Gandalf entered the imfirmary, "Waste not your strength on trying to kill your allies, Denethor for the enemy approaches on the Pelennor Fields."

_'Is it just orcs and uruks or will there be men too as Valog mentioned there were ? What of the Fellbeasts and Ringwraiths ?'_

Nearly everyone, but the wounded and the healers went to the battlements. A stream of beings like the flooding of Orthanc was sweeping over the brown-fields towards the city, most noticably there were some odd grey beasts with tall platforms on their backs.

Legolas whispered, "Mumakil, I've only heard of these strange beasts. It's said they can crush men with a step alone, but that they can be very slow."

Thor nodded, "They look like mikill beasts indeed, Legolas. Shall we go down to the gates to meet them ?"

Tension and dread were in the air as he turned and went to grab Heleg-skera along with his knives, then went down to the gates with the others who'd been joined by Vanafin, Pippin, Fenrir and his wolves and Jormungandr. It surprised him when Denethor stalked up in his own set of silver plate-armour and snarled, "Open the gates."

Unsheathed Heleg-skera covering it in ice as Fenrir shifted and Jormungandr coated his arm in thick ice turning it into a sword. Incredibly slowly, the doors were pulled open and everyone started filing out onto the fields. _'When I get back here, you had bettter still be alive friend Boromir or I will find my way to Valhalla and then I will kill you every single day that passes until you agree to go back with me.'_


	59. Coil

As soon as the battle started Legolas lost sight of nearly everyone, but Fenrir and Jormungandr in a swarm of orcs, uruks, trolls and strange, dark-olive or sallow skinned men. The only reason he didn't loose sight of the giant wolf and snake/sea serpent were because they were some of the tallest things around him personally.

When one of the dark-olive skinned men lowered his body-covering shield, he loosed an arrow into the man's throat, before ducking under a sword blow, turning and slamming his forearm into the orc's stomach. It was Vanafin who used that distraction to his advantage and sliced off the orc's head. Nodded his thanks to Loki's half-nephew as there was the sudden smell of charred flesh followed by a thunder clap off to their right. A shield slammed into his back, throwing him into Vanafin, and he kicked backward.

The wolves howls filled the air like the screams they elicited seconds later, he turned to see that Jormungandr had his fangs locked in a mumakil's neck a few feet away as its riders hacked at him. If he'd been able to time Jormungandr's coil movement and thrashing perfectly, he would have shot the men from where he was standing, but he couldn't and didn't want to risk hurting Jormungandr by accident. Slung his bow back onto his shoulder, unsheathed his long-knives and started upper-cutting, slashing and thrusting his way across the gap.

Up close to the mumakil, he had to stop for a second in awe of how big it really was, over eight feet tall, then he shook it away before sheathing his knives. He jumped onto Jormungandr's coils, waiting for one to approach the next before jumping again and dodging the arrows. Some of which still just barely whizzed by his ear, vaulted over the side of the wooden wall of the platform.

For a moment, the dark-red leather, gold and brozne-armoured men stared at him their odd dragon-like horned helments gleaming in a flash of lightning. Took advantage of it to pull an axe from one's hands and used his elvish strength to slice off the easterling's hands, as blood sprayed, he was already blocking a spear-thrust with the axe's edge and tore the spear from its owner's grip. Mjolnir smashed into the spear owner's head, before Thor joined his hammer in smashing the last easterling off the platform with his shoulder.

He leapt over the platform onto Jormungandr's coils, unslinging his bow and using the undulating movement to pull off farther shots to go through the easterlings helmet eye-holes, along with taking out many orcs. From his higher vantage he also saw that Minas Tirith was being over-run with easterlings and orcs, that large swathes of land were covered in ice as Loki froze men in their tracks. Saw Fenrir in his jotun-form wrestling with a troll who was punching him in the face. There were far less of the Gondorians than when he'd first jumped onto the mumakil mere minutes ago.

When he reached Jormungandr's tail he jumped off as the snake uncoiled himself from the mumakil. The mumakil fell over with a great crash and the earth shook, knocking him off his feet. Likely when it fell, it also crushed many men from both sides along with orcs and uruks.

There were still many mumakill left standing, about six, as he started pushing himself up, he watched one of the few uninjured men of Faramir's Rangers cut down by an easterling.

Brief dispair overwhelmed him, _'Even with Thor, Loki, Jormungandr and Fenrir, Pippin and Vanafin...we're losing ! No, no, I can't give up ! Mother wouldn't want me to and Father would be understanding, but disappointed. If I give up the orcs are going to go down the Anduin to Mirkwood and kill Father, kill Air, Acharn, Gail and even Glam. They'll destroy Grandfather's bow and the last remnant of Greenwood.'_

An ice-covered Heleg-skera thrust through the easterling's chest and was pulled out. Loki ran over to pull him up, "Come on, Legolas, we have to get back to the city. Thor says the enemy has been driven out of Minas Tirith for now, we have to get in before they close the gates. I can't carry you up in a shape-shifted form and I don't know if Thor can carry us both."

Loki let go of him and sheathed Heleg-skera, the noise around them was deafening. Whether Loki had illusioned them, or the easterlings and orcs were tired, he didn't know, but they were barely even glanced at as they ran. He managed to get inside before the gates of Minas Tirith slammed shut, but he realized that Loki wasn't with him. Loki was trapped outside and if his first love hadn't had the strength to keep up, _'What if he doesn't have the strength to shape-shift and fly in ? W-what if he isn't able to hold onto an illusion for very long ? They'll kill him if they find him !'_


	60. Duty

If Loki hadn't been so tired he wouldn't have tripped, yet, here he was trapped outside of Minas Tirith with barely enough energy to shift forms before some orcs approached. _'Hmm, I need to stop relying on my ice so much. Yet, it works better for immobilizing enemies than anything else besides being a bilgesnipe. If that most certainly wouldn't have crushed just as many Gondorians as the almost-vanir, orcs and such I wouldn't have bothered to change back.'_

One of the orcs sneered, "Did you see that stupid elf run ? It looked like a prissy son of a bitch. I don't see why they're so scared of the damned pointy ears, they aren't that strong. Who the hell are you ?"

He raised himself and turned to glare at them, "Me ? I'm Bani, who by the Great Eye do you think you are ?"

The shortest one who was barely shorter than himself, with oddly pinkish-white skin and an enormously swelled face, due to one of Legolas' arrows sticking out of it's left eye, laughed, "Name's Gamlog, you're the one Valog was going on about then ? The so-called traitor ? He's such a drama-Man, it makes me sick."

"Valog is a fool if he can't figure out what a double-agent is. Those elves are so damned stupid. All you have to do is say, "Oh, oh, I'm so sorry, I swear I'll never do it again. I didn't have a choice the Witch-King would have killed me, please, please, let me help you." and they trust you right away. If they hadn't always been watching me I would've caught that stupid little halfling."

Gamlog and the other orc chuckled, Gamlog huffed, "Those halfings are sneaky little bastards, they managed to summon those horse-pricks from what Valog said."

Nodded, "They did and I don't know how they managed it. I haven't been back to Mordor in months. I was on my way back before I was pulled into the city, they're nearly dead in there." _'I might as well send more of them to die while I'm able.'_ "If you could take out that wizard of theirs, they'd crumble to nothing."

Before Gamlog and the other orc could answer he started off towards Mordor and hopefully Frodo. _'Even if the nightmares come back, if I find him I'll be able to protect him from the orcs.'_

Calmly, he reached out and caught an arrow, before dropping it on the ground also dropping his orc illusion from the Gondorians minds. When he had gotten away from the army, holding his breath because of the overwhelming stench of blood and other even more common battefield niceties amongst the dead, he stopped and tried to summon enough energy to project an illusion of himself to Thor.

Immediately Thor asked, "What happened to you ? Where are you ?"

"I happen to be trapped outside-"

"I'll come and get you !"

He shook his head, "No, you won't, Thor. Listen I've got a plan, I just pray that it will work since Valog thinks that I'm a traitor. If I can I'll inflitrate Mordor and try to get information on Frodo and Sam."

Thor's hands clenched into fists, "Loki, stop being stubborn, you have to realize that you can't. Please, y-you're so exhausted you're nearly falling over without realizing it and you'll **die** before you reach Mordor, just come inside !"

"I'm the Protector of the Ring-bearer and the Ring-bearer is somewhere in Mordor. In Isengard I was so shocked I couldn't say it, but now I can and I love you too, Thor, just as much as I do Legolas. Tell him that for me when you see him again, I loved you for well over five hundred years-"

"Stop !"

Of course, he continued any ways, "but you know how I am about my duties, they have to be finished impeccably. As much as you want me to, Thor, you know that I can't. I'm so sorry."

When he finished talking he turned and started walking away, as he let the illusion fade he heard Thor angrily shouting after him, "Loki, Loki, come back here !"

_'I will reach Mordor because the fates of everyone I love and the fate of many Worlds depend on it. Nothing can stop me - not a vengeful Valog, not a rupulsive Ring-Wraith and a furious Fellbeast, not even the relentless Ring itself.'_


	61. Duty - part 2

Thor stared at the white wall in a mixture of disbelief and anger, clenching and unclenching his fists. _'How can he just go to die ? How can he just say he loves me ? Over five hundred years and he can't even say that he loves me in person ! Is that why he tried to kill Jane ? Because he was jealous of her and thought I was in love with her ? Why couldn't he have gone back to being the old Loki ? The old Loki wouldn't have dreamed of going out of his way to save anyone, much less whole Worlds, with death as his only reward. He can't have gotten that far away yet, I can still catch him !'_

When he turned, he startled to see that Gandalf stood behind him. The white-haired and bearded wizard leaned on his staff, unknowable millenia of calm wisdom in those bright-eyes, "It takes a boy to declare friendship and demand his due, it takes a man to realize his mistakes and admit his feelings to himself, but it takes a great man to admit his feelings to others and leave to protect them when he knows that he may not ever return."

"It's not fair ! For the first time, he's being an idiot and why does he have to be so stubborn ? **I'm** supposed to be the stubborn one, not him !"

Gandalf put a hand on his shoulder and asked, "Does it not exemplify just how much he has changed, Thor, that he is willing to do this ? He does this not to spite you, but with the best of intentions in his heart and mind for both yourself and the fate many of Worlds. To save them from an evil that he has felt personally, an evil that you can never hope to imagine."

As he couldn't figure out what to do with his hands, he folded his arms over his chest, "Even Asgard ? After all they, after all that I and Father, did to him ? He would still risk death to save them ?"

The White Wizard nodded, "Yes, even Asgard. They might have abandoned him, but he has not abandoned them. Truly, he will **never** abandon them because it was his first home. He will do his duty as a Prince of Asgard and protect it to his last breathe - whether that be's today, tomorrow or many millenia in the future. He has chosen his path, as your path led you to sacrifice yourself to save Jane, do not make all the hardships that he has faced to get here meaningless by dragging him back. If you do so you will dishonour not only yourself, but him as well."

Tilted his head back slightly to look at the roof, _'If you knew O' Asgard what a stalwart defender you have, a defender willing to do his duty, even after what you did to him; would still you ridicule him for being of the Jotnar ? Would still you refuse him aid ? How disappointed would Great-great Grandfather Buri, whom was friends with Ymir who was father of Jotunheim, be ? Incredibly so, because Asgard and Jotunheim had great friendship then. Only for it to turn now to shame and fear because they're different from us. Well, no more I will make it my own duty to repair the bonds between Asgard and Jotunheim. So, that if one happens to be born half-Jotnar then they need not fear something like the lies that everyone said about Loki.'_

He looked down and past Gandalf when Legolas asked, "Dishonour whom ?"

The dark-green clad elf held his empty quiver by the red-leather strap and he looked down to his own new bow. Whilst he still wasn't very good at it, yet, he had taken out a few trolls from the battlements before the retreat was called.

Sighed as he walked around Gandalf to look at those pretty, grey-eyes, "I want to bring Loki back."

"Back from where ?"

Tightened his grip on his forearms and managed, "He is going to Mordor...by himself."

Legolas threw his hands in the air exasperated, "If he wasn't so smart I'd call him stupid ! If we can't route the easterlings and such by tomorrow, he's going to get himself killed."

Loosened his grip on his arms, then reached out to lower one of Legolas' hands and hold it, "I know, but he does it because he loves you and...somehow he loves me as well."

That made the pale-skinned elf smile for some reason, "I know, I knew months before you did. For the first while, you were almost all he would talk of and I loved him, despite being jealous of you. Except when you showed up, after a while...I came to love you too." Legolas finished the statement by running that free hand through his hair, then cupping his cheek.

_'It was kind of funny how he punched me and called me a bastard when first we met. Still, I admit that I deserved to be punched back then for what I helped to do. I just... how could Legolas fall in love with me when I accused him of putting a spell on Loki ? How can he love me ?'_

Once again, he found himself staring and speechless, then managed to say, "I never thought that either of you could love me, much less both of you. You two were so much better than I, you got along better even than he and I did. I don't deserve to have either of your loves, much less to love both of you like I do."

A faint smile and, "Well, Thor Odinson, you have our loves whether you deserve to have them or not.", followed by a short kiss.

Gandalf chuckled and he startled, he'd forgotten all about the wizard, "More love is exactly what we need in this time of war, it strengthens and gives hope to everyone. Speaking of hope, what I want to know is where are Frigga, Aragorn and Theoden ? They should have shown themselves already."

After having pulled away from him, Legolas asked, "Perhaps they are like wizards ? In that they only show up exactly when they mean to."

Half-turned to see Gandalf smiling, then the three of them went outside to check on Fenrir and Jormungandr. Some of Fenrir's wolf pack had been killed, but the black wolf that had jumped on Loki in Isengard was still alive. Which he would have to tell Loki when they met again. Both of the Lokisons' had ended up being gored by the elephants/mumakil, not very deeply, but still enough that the wounds were bleeding quite a bit. _'I'll have to help bandage them, I just hope that I don't get passed out on. That would be very bad indeed.'_


	62. Hel

Legolas sighed as he lay on the sun-warmed grass beneath the golden leaved and trunked Glasir. Mother leaned over him, again, her hair nearly a paler match for the tree, with a smile, "Hello again, little 'Las."

"Hello, Mother. Ah, can you believe what just what happened today, ah, earlier ?"

She chuckled as she straightened up, "Yes, I saw it, it was quite lovely, I'm just disappointed Loki didn't get to see it too."

_'It would have been nice to have Loki see it. If I had known he was that tired I would have stayed outside with him. Yet, if I had stayed outside Thor wouldn't have said that he loved me.'_

"What happened before I reached him and Gandalf ?"

"Thor got angry at Loki for being stubborn and refusing to come inside. He also didn't want to hear Loki say, "I love you.", because of how final it sounded."

That made him sit up, "Mother, i-is Loki going to make it to Mordor ? Are we going to succeed ?", it relieved him that here, at least, there was no pervading stench of death and blood.

"I don't know, but considering how determined he is, I think that he will. He has the Norns on his side after all, but anything can happen. He could die, but Frodo could still destroy the Ring and succeed in saving Middle-earth or everyone could die. Still, he has yourself, Thor and everyone else to live for I'm sure that he will do his hardest to stay alive."

Before he could answer, he woke to Thor saying, "Legolas, Legolas wake up. The enemy is getting ready to attack again."

So, they went outside their hall for breakfast they had bread, cheese and apples, which was probably better than Loki unless he'd found enough energy to hunt. After he, Vanafin, Fenrir, Jormungandr and Thor went to the battlements. Jormungandr and Fenrir's bleeding had stopped in the night and their wounds had healed without a scar in the ensuing hours.

He startled when a severed head was catapulted at his face and he knocked it away. For a second the head's staring green-eyes looked like Loki's and he shuddered. _'This is wonderful they're flinging severed heads at us now. Loki, at least, won't be having heads thrown at him where ever he is.'_

Thor murmured, "Is it supposed to be frightening, love ?"

As he replied, "Yes, and I think it's doing a very good job.", Vanafin was being sick on the cobbled stones. His eye caught movement on the far horizon - thousands of horses were gathering in a calvary line behind the enemy, thier tack, and their riders swords, faintly glowing in the darkness. "Thor, go find Denethor, please and tell him that the Rohrrim have arrived."

When Fenrir and Jormungandr said, "Heill sister Hel, Queen of Helheim.", both he and Thor turned.

"Heill brothers."

At just under six and a half-feet tall, with her long black-hair as she turned she looked far more like Loki than either of his sons did. Hel smiled as she looked at them, "Heill Thor, Prince of Asgard. Heill Legolas, Prince of the Elves of Northern Mirkwood."

They returned the greetings, before Hel asked, "Fenrir, where is Father ? Too long has it been since we have seen each other."

Fenrir reached down to pet the black wolf as he answered, "Father is going to Mordor, we are going after him when this is done. Why are you here, sister ?"

"Mandos paid me a visit, as with this war he is very busy he cannot come himself. Plus, as I knew nearly everyone else was coming, I thought we might make it an almost complete family adventure. Are you finished being sick, cousin Vanafin ?"

That made him look over to Vanafin who was looking a bit steadier and the black-haired rohrric man nodded, "I am fine, now. Is the battle going to start soon ?"

Hel raised a hand, "It has already started.", and he turned to see not only the Eorlingas, but the glowing, misty souls of many races moving amongst the enemy. "Ready your weapons, for I put us amongst them."

After he unsheathed his long-knives there was a flash of silver in his minds eye before they stood in the thick of battle on the brown-fields. Opportunity presented itself to him right away and he moved to hack apart a spear that would have unhorsed one of the Rohrrim, before spinning and slashing the easterling's throat. One of said Rohrrim's arrows whizzed by his ear into an orc that had started approaching him. Quite a few of the souls had swarmed over the trolls and the mumakil. _'How are they killing people ? They aren't from this World and they're dead, yet some how they're hacking orcs apart with spirit-swords and weapons.'_

When an orc with one of his arrows in its eye ran at him, he ducked under its sword, dropping one long-knife and shoving the arrow all the way into its brain. While the orc fell and he picked up his long-knife, he noticed that Vanafin and Thor were working together turning rain to ice like Loki had, before Jormungandr in snake-form would swallow the frozen beings.

Fenrir and the remaining wolves were tearing apart the easterlings that Pippin speared. When an orc that was rushing at Pippin suddenly disappeared he had the feeling that Merry had found his friend.

Just as it looked like they were winning, there was the defeaning screech of a Fellbeast and then one of the Nazgul were slashing at Jormungandr's back, before being thrown off by Mjolnir.

Aragorn went thundering by on a brown-horse heading towards Minas Tirith as Huginn, Munnin and one other raven swooped down to peck at orc faces with their beaks and smash their wings into the easterlings helmets. _'It can't be Loki, so it has to be Frigga. I've seen nearly everyone now, but Gimli.'_

Gimli's voice shouted, "Ten, Legolas. Now, don't stand there like a statue, it ain't fun winning a one-sided battle, though, victory will be mine !"

A blur of dead and dying enemies later, the battlefield seemed to go quiet and still in a second. Jormungandr was helping Fenrir, who was bleeding from one eye, towards the city. Hel was stood at the head of her army talking to Frigga about something.

Cleaned and sheathed his long-knives, then Aragorn was beside him then, saying, "Merry was injured, Pippin, Thor and Gandalf are fine. While Boromir is recovering still and Faramir is healed, but Denethor was killed defending the infirmary from orcs. He might have been jealous when his father listened more to Gandalf and I's advice than Saruman's years ago, but he grew out of it, like I should have my own jealousy long before I met him. I can only hope that with Boromir as Steward by my side that I can make Gondor great again, like both my father and Denethor wished to see it."

"I'm sure that you will considering how much you have learned of yourself these past months. When we win this war for them, for everyone who has died, Aragorn, then Arathorn and Denethor will see Gondor reborn to glory."

Gimli walked up, cleaning his axe on easterling armour as he came up, "Aye, and I'll see if King Thorin wouldn't let me and a few of the fellows fix up Gondor for you. So, now we go on to Frodo, to Sam and Loki...to Mordor."

His gaze drifted across the battefield to Mordor which was lit by an eerie blood-red light. _'Please, Norns, let Loki, Sam and Frodo still be alive. We will need all the help that we can get if we are to win against those who haven't yet seen their energy depleted.'_


	63. Path

Loki was amazed that after a full night's walking into the morning, stopping only to hunt for two lizards to eat, that he had made it to Mordor. More over, that there was daylight in the sky above ! He'd been following a path through the mountains in the form of many steep staircases and flat stone that seemed deserted. As it would seem to be the safest route for the hobbits, and otherwise himself considering how tired he was.

The Ring was speaking to him again, as he approached a giant tunnel, so he knew at least that he was close to Frodo. _"If you help me, Loki, I can order your lovers to be left alone and uninjured. You won't have to go through what all the others did, you won't have to watch them die to save fools that don't appreciate you.'_

_'Shut up ! Legolas and Thor, and myself, would rather I die than join you. Threaten to kill them all that you want, you have not the physical-form to do the killing. I will help be your end because no matter if your orcs kill them, they would want to see you destroyed...and you will be, I swear it.'_

So, dark was the tunnel that for a second it frightened him to enter it until he put a hand on the too smooth wall and willed ice before him. As he walked first he noticed many skeletons with the rotten stench of corpses and unsheathed Heleg-skera in case whatever beast lived there should decide to make an appearance.

It was only by the faint light of the ice, and the many brief appearances of Skuld's silver-red eyes, that he came to a part that was filled with many spider webs. After much more walking, he came upon an opening and entering into it saw the corpse of a great, black, claw-footed spider.

Above the spider's corpse was a sloping path and starlight. Quickly, after sheathing Heleg-skera, he skirted the spider's corpse, almost running up the path towards the light to emerge on a road that led to a fortress. It was made of brown-stone with one main tier and two smaller tiers ending in a watch-tower. Gargoyle water-spouts covered the main tier from when it was part of Gondor still. Illusioned himself to invisiblity should any orcs be watching and approached the gates, they were twenty feet tall and likely thick enough so that he couldn't break his way through. Even though the energy of the lizards had long left him, he still had enough energy to shape shift again into his raven-form.

When he flew above the gates for a second, he was terror-struck to see that the Eye was looking upon him from the black tower Barad-dur. Defiantly, he screeched at Sauron's Eye and swept in to alight on the window of the watch-tower. Then he fluttered down from the sill into the room at the sight of Frodo laid out naked on the floor except for the Ring. Shifted back into his regular form and dropped the orc-illusion for Frodo even though the hobbit was unconscious. The Ring didn't bother speaking to him now for some reason.

Frodo was too thin, his skin covered in faint bruises and also paler than normal. He managed to shake the black-haired hobbit awake and Frodo murmured, "L-Loki ? A-are you real ?"

"Of course, I am. I'm going to get you out of here."

"Wh-here's Sam ?" The hobbit's tone turned desperate, "Sam, **Sam**!"

"Ssh, rest yourself, Frodo. I swear that I will find him as well."

Frodo's blue-eyes glowed in the shadows of the room as the hobbit smiled weakly, "Thank-you, Loki. S-such good friends...I have.", before once again slipping from consciousness.

When he looked up at the door, he saw that it was made of old, brittle, dark wood and barred with black-iron. As he heard the sound of Sam shouting something, he kicked the door off its hinges and strode into the dark-grey stone room. It was only furnished with a weak, dark-wood table which two orcs sat at and, off to the side, by the spiralling staircase was a weapons rack.

Growled as he slammed a fist on the table, "What do you think you're doing sitting here ? Get out there and fight you damned cowards !"

They stared at him and he reached out to snap the right one's neck, before back-handing the left one into the wall. Said orc grabbed a sword from the rack as he got up, a second later he'd pulled out and thrown one of his knives, leaving the orc to clutch his throat and fall over.

Sam ran up around the stairs bend with Frodo's sword Sting in his hand and a pack on his back, as he walked and pulled the throwing knife from the orc's throat. Sam exclaimed, "Mr. Loki ? Wh-what're you doing here ?!"

"I'm helping you rescue Frodo, he's just down the hall, but he needs new clothes. If you dress him and carry him down, I'll take care of the rest of the orcs."

It was minutes before Sam came back carrying a fully dressed Frodo, they descended the stairs. He would have gone with Sam and Frodo, but he was blind-sided by Valog after exiting the tower, the knife spinning from his hand as he hit the earth. His gaze briefly sought the two as they ran away, he saw Frodo stop, like he was going to try helping him and shouted, "Go ! Go, **run** !"

Valog didn't waste time in punching him in the back of the head while hissing, "You dare come back, you Man-loving traitor !"

Snarled wordlessly as he rolled onto his back, slamming his head back into Valog's forehead. Rolled off the orc captain, rising to kick the orc in the side, hard enough to send him spinning through the air and dent the ground.

As he grinned down at Valog, he answered, "Actually, I'm not even an orc, Valog. I'm one of the Nissrim and you fell for all of my ruses...like a child."

Red light glinted off his throwing knife and he barely ducked under it just before the orc captain charged him. His breath rushed out as he hit the dirt with yellow-tipped fangs almost at his throat. All he could do was grab Valog's throat and will the straggly black-haired orc to freeze. One of Valog's hand scrabbled at his belt, before an abrupt, harsh pain lanced into his chest.

Those yellow-grey eyes dimmed as Valog slumped on top of him and everything started to fade to black. Weakly, he shoved the body off himself and rolled over to start crawling after the hobbits. He tried, how hard he tried, but his body figured that finally it had taken enough punishment and darkness consumed him.


	64. Mouth

Legolas was worried about Loki, Sam and Frodo as Huginn and Muninn swept to land on Thor and Frigga's shoulders. Neither of the ravens had a message nor had Loki sent an illusion since the first. _'They're probably concentrating on getting to Orodruin and can't waste energy on anything else, that's all. Just wait, they'll be perfectly fine, you'll see.'_

Beside him on the dusty road walked Fenrir, who'd lost his left-eye two days ago, with Jormungandr and Hel beside their brother. Thor, Frigga, Pippin along with Faramir and Boromir were on his other side. Boromir had refused to let Faramir go alone into what would surely be one of the last battles they would see.

In front of them were Aragorn, Gandalf and Theoden. While behind him were Vanafin, Gimli, Merry and the armies of the Rohan, Gondor and Helheim. It'd taken them two days to get up to the gates of Mordor because everybody was either very tired, injured in some way or both.

_'At the least, since Frodo, Sam and Loki aren't with Hel you know they're still alive...or in Valhalla. Since Sauron hasn't taken over Arda, yet, one of them is still alive or an orc has the Ring.'_

The Morannon as they approached it was enormous over one hundred feet tall and black as Huginn's feathers. One Ring-Wraith like being in a long black-robe, the only part of him visible - his enormous, yellowed and rotted-teeth, along with an orc waited in front of it.

Himself and the others stopped as Aragorn and Thor walked to meet the Mouth. Aragorn wore a new black breastplate with the White Tree of Gondor and seven silver stars gilded upon it; also he wore a thick silver winged circlet on his head that was rather like Thor's helmet.

The Mouth asked, "Have you come to surrender ?"

Aragorn countered, "I was just going to ask you the same as Sauron, yourself and the rest of his ilk are far out-numbered."

He shuddered and reached for his bow when the Mouth let out a blood-chilling laugh, "Ah, but we have something that you don't. And he's not going to live much longer, that is if we don't kill him first."

_'Who do they have ? Loki ? Frodo ? Sam ? W-what did they do to him ?'_

Thor snarled as he reached for Mjolnir, "You lie, Creature, you have no proof."

Laughter from the orc as it reached behind itself a-and threw...Heleg-skera onto the ground. His breath caught as the echoing clatter of the spear on the dusty ground seemed to be the only sound in all of Arda. The white mallorn wood glowed brightly in contrast to the blackness of the Mouth as it rolled to a stop...at Thor's feet.

His mouth was suddenly dry and his heartbeat pounded in his ears as the world tilted like he was drunk. _'He was too weak to stop them. I-, he never should have come here alone ! I knew he probably wouldn't make it...they could kill him, unless I kill that damned Mouth first !'_

It first surprised and then pleased him when it was Loki's ice-arrow that pierced the Mouth's throat. Seconds after the Mouth's sallow colored skin started turning black with frost he was struck by a lightning-bolt. Quickly, the orc turned and tried to slip through the gate only to have it shut in his face. That was when Mjolnir slammed into the back of the orc's skull.

Gandalf shook his head muttering, "If they told the truth we will never be able to get him back, you fools ! Unless he manages to find a way to us. Which even though I hate to say it, I doubt, that he is strong enough to now. We can only hope that he is still alive when we win this battle."

After catching and rehooking Mjolnir, very slowly, Thor bent to pick up Heleg-skera. The spear was still in perfect condition - if only Loki were the same. Himself and Thor both responded, "He will be, he must be !"

Found himself looking to Frigga when she looked pensive, he kept looking hoping for Skuld to appear again. If only on the edge of his vision, maybe up on the gate or, or somewhere. _'Why can she not appear ? Whenever she does I know he'll be all right or at least, alive. She must appear again, she must !'_

Yet, no matter how much he willed her to appear as he moved and picked up the ice-arrow...Skuld didn't. They retreated from the gate to try and plan an attack. An attack that just might allow them to try and find Loki while he was still alive.


	65. Eye

Loki was so weak, in so much pain, that he could barely move and, yet, he glared far across at the Eye. Always now, it was upon him, so that even if he wanted he couldn't escape; if he managed it anyway there was a Ringwraith and Fellbeast waiting just above the grey-stone cave. Still he forced himself to crawl to its mouth as the sound of echoing, familiar voices drew his attention.

Those faint hopes dashed - all across the dusty plain were thousands of orcs, trolls and easterlings - but no Thor, no Aragorn. As despair washed over him the stab wound in his chest ached. If his knife had gone just a few inches deeper it would have entered his heart. _'You idiot, you've lost far too much blood. You're imagining things ! No ! They're here, they have to be. They have to help Frodo ! Well, if you still had your knives you could help too.'_

Skuld's voice roared, "Thy time has ended O' Witch-King ! For Yggdrasil and Eru !" A shrill screech as Norn, Nazgul and Fellbeast plummeted past him. Skuld had a bright sword in her hand as did the Witch-King who rose from his saddle. Many things chinked as they fell beside him and they were...his throwing knives !

**Flashback**

Agony as rough hands roved over him, they pulled out his knives as they went. Anger eclipsed the pain and he twisted, punching the orc in the face. The orc flew out of the cave opening and it floated, for a second, until it dropped with a scream...taking his knives with.

A cold voice, "If your friends don't surrender, Niss, you will die."

Sauron's dark, persuasive voice, _"You will die and then they will die cursing your name. Always, always, you will be Loki the Traitor. Do you wish die so remembered, little one ?"_

Suddenly, a metal boot slammed into his side and rolled him onto his back. Blinked up to see one of the Nazgul, the one that had attacked Faramir no less, looming over him. It held Heleg-skera in its spike-gloved grip and he snarled back, "Kill me now you gutless, dickless little worm for they would rather die !"

Heleg-skera cracked across his face, he was barely conscious enough to watch the Nazgul leave. Still when it had, he reached for his belt and the pouch that had Fenrir and Father's letters in it. The pouch was still there, relieved he dug them out and re-read them in tears by the end.

While he put the scrolls away, wishes flew through his mind, _'They must be all right, they have to be. Oh, what I would give to see Asgard again if only for a moment. To be able to show Legolas that which was my home until I met him. Father would like Legolas, I think even Angrboetha would like him. I want Legolas to show me Mirkwood, to meet Thranduil for the first time.'_

**End Flashback**

Overjoyed, he pushed himself before picking one of the kives up and, ridiculous as it was, kissing it. "Oh, thank thee, Skuld !"

The Witch-King and Skuld appeared again, Skuld parrying a thrust before slamming her fist into the Nazgul's face. With great amusment he watched the Witch-King fall, before watching shocked as an arrow flew through the Fellbeast's skull. It made him laugh as the Fellbeast plummeted seconds later.

 _'That was_ _**not** _ _one of Legolas' arrows ! Th-that was one of Thor's. Haha, they are here !_ _**Death to Sauron, death to Mordor !** _ _'_

Far below him, easterlings, orcs and trolls were milling in confusion as the Witch-King slammed into the ground. Of course, he took advantage of it to start throwing his knives. As he threw one into an easterling's skull, he noticed as Skuld was being swarmed by the eight other Nazgul. When he ran out of knives, on adrenaline alone, he shapeshifted into raven-form and left the cave behind.

Before his very startled eyes an enormous, silver Asgardian, winged long-boat-like, space-ship pierced the dark clouds above. Smaller skiffs seperated from the space-ship a few going to Skuld's aid. That was when the Bifrost thundered down on top of the black-gate, an-and Father stood there as the Morannon opened. He rolled to the side to avoid an arrow, before he started towards Father.

With resounding roars of, " **For Asgard !** " and, " **For Arda !** ", the armies of Asgard, Helheim and Arda clashed with the army of Mordor.

One of Gungnir's energy-beams cut a troll's head in half as he landed on the gate's walkway. The adrenaline had faded and he shifted back into his jotun-form. Exhausted, he heard Father say his name from a distance. His eyes were focused below on Legolas and Thor teaming up on a troll...with Pippin it looked like helping. Fenrir and a far smaller vargar pack were attacking some easterlings; as Jormungandr was copying himself and freezing enemies whole, except his youngest son was also eating them. Hel and the draugr were nearly everywhere at once. Some of the draugr were helping the Asgardians to kill the Nazgul and free Skuld.

Father's hand landed on his shoulder and another echoing, "Loki ?", reached his ears.

He found himself collasping only for Father to catch him; his mind and hearing snapped back into place, crystal clear, when he replied, "Father, y-you came to help us. You said Asgard wouldn't help."

Father smiled down at him and a hand rose to run through his hair. The soft answer, "I know, but eventually, I convinced them they were being idiots to deny another World aid. Much less to deny it just because of you. Also, I know not how Frigga did it, but there was an odd spell that sounded like Thor berating them. It most definitely helped guilt them into coming."

He straightened himself, then stared as on top of the black-tower the fiery Eye flickered. Sauron's Eye turned towards the volcano then it flickered out for a second, before it...exploded. The angry and disbelieving scream of the Dark Lord was palpable in his mind. Equally explosive cheers, before the tower and the ground started to shake and crumble.

Everyone started scrambling for skiffs as Father and himself were engulfed in the Bifrost. _'_ _ **We're safe, we're safe ! The Ring is gone !**_ _W-wait, th-that means...my duty is over.'_


	66. Yell

Despair filled the small, light-wooded room as Legolas, with Thor beside him, stared down at Loki anxiously. Loki lay half-under a dark-emerald blanket, his left cheekbone was nearly shattered and the rest of his face was swollen. Just like back on Caradhras, Loki's skin was far more white than blue-white. His hand rested on Loki's bruise-covered chest which moved **very** shallowly, so much it might as well not have moved at all. The black-haired jotun was in such terrible a state that no one knew if he would live. Just minutes ago, after seeing the, almost, surely fatal stab wound poor Pippin had left in tears with an equally shaken Merry beside him.

_'This can't be happening, it can't be. Not after he survived falling off the Misty Mountains, nearly drowning in Isengard and that fucking bastard Valog ! He needs to meet Father and make sure Varr is all right. Vanafin still needs teaching and what of Fenrir, Jormungandr and Hel ? Do they not need their father ?'_

Thor's tanned-hand covered his tightly, before the Asgardian Prince was whispering softly, "You cannot do this to **us** , love ! You cannot leave, Loki, what fun would it be with **just** Legolas and myself ? Hardly enough, never enough, without you."

A knock on the door frame nearly sent him jumping through the 'space'-ship's roof. He twisted to see Frodo and Sam stood nervously in the doorway; Frodo's right hand was clenched as the two hobbits moved into the room. As the black-haired hobbit moved to stand on the other side of Loki's bed, Frodo put his right hand on Loki's. That hand was missing a finger now, Frodo's right ring-finger having been bitten off by Gollum before the creature had fallen into Orodruin with the Ring.

Frodo's blue-eyes were filled with an awed sadness, "We wouldn't have made it to Orodruin without him. Valog would have killed us if Loki hadn't been there."

Sam murmured, "It ain't right, Mr. Frodo, not at all. If that bloody Valog hadn't jumped on him h-he'd be all right now. C'mon, Loki you said you wanted to see the Shire didn't you ? Y-you can't see it if, if'n you're dead. You **have** to live or that Mr. Air is going to go hollering to Mandos 'n raising a fuss in Valinor."

Harsh, startled laughter left him and it sounded so out of place in the somber, near silent room. _'I forgot about that and yet Sam remembered. Oh, please, please, Loki, you can't go ! At the least, you can't leave if only so Mandos will have peace without Air's nagging.'_

There was no response from Loki, not even a finger twitch, and Thor's head buried itself against his chest with a stifled sob. His free hand moved to stroke the golden blond-hair softly, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. It was not however pounding hard enough that he missed hearing a strange woman say, "Who cares if he dies, he's an arrogant son of a bitch !"

As he looked up, Sam rushed the black-haired, pale-skinned woman punching her legs and shouting, " **You take that back ! You take it back now, 'cause that ain't true. Mr. Loki's not arrogant.** "

_'This must be that Sif. How can she say that when she would have died a million times without him ? Oh, wait she doesn't care about him.'_

Sif shoved Sam away causing him to crash into Frodo, as the two hobbits fell, she smoothed her brown-leather tunic and sneered, "Even if he did change, he's still a fucking **jotun**."

Thor's head had jerked up at Sif's first words and by her shoving Sam, Thor had risen from his seat. Now, though, now, the Asgardian Prince rushed Sif with a wordless roar of fury. The two Asgardians crashed, with much splintering and crunching, through the hallway. He looked from the gaping hole to see Frodo and Sam picking themselves off the floor.

Distantly, Thor's voice echoed back to them, "You heartless bitch ! How many feats would you have without him, Sif, how many ?! You would have **none !** Five thousand times you stole his glory, well, no more !"

All the yelling made his gaze go back to Loki, hoping that just maybe it would have woken him. Instead those warm red-eyes remained stubbornly closed. Yet another knock on the doorframe. Whoever it was made Frodo spit, "Go away ! Leave him in peace why don't you ?"

Again, he looked to the door to see a light-blond haired and blue-clad Asgardian stood there. The Asgardian ran a hand through his hair, "I just wanted to apologize before it was too late. When we were younger, Loki saved me from a bilgesnipe. And in turn I, well, I called him a magical freak and ran off without even a thank-you.", as he walked to stand beside Loki.

_'This must be Fandral, at least, he wasn't a total ass to Loki.'_

Fandral put a fist over his heart and half-bowed as he continued, "My greatest and most humble apologies. You deserved far better than we gave you. Thank-you and...fare thee well, Loki Odinson, Prince of Asgard."

Heard himself shouting, " **No** , **no** ! **Come back !** ", as an image filled his mind. An image of his mother along with Skuld leading Loki away from the golden trunked and leaved Glasir. The trio ignored him walking towards that golden-thatched hall Valhalla. Laid his head on Loki's chest and a second later his ragged sobs of, "Come back, come back.", filled the room. _'I love you.'_


	67. Daell

Loki as he appeared in front of Glasir, sunlight streaming through its golden leaves, blinked in confusion. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Skuld and the black varg from Fenrir's pack standing beside him. _'What ? How ? Where ?'_

"Hello, Loki."

That voice startled him and he turned to see a darker-blond, green-eyed female elf behind him. In her features - the way her top lip was fuller than the bottom, the slant of her cheekbones - was Legolas. Just like her son, her eyebrows were and her hair, at the front sides, was black.

"Y-you you're Legolas's Mother."

A gentle smile as she walked up to him and he jerked away as she reached to touch him. Still she nodded as she said, "I am and my name is Daell Soldottir. You need not fear your touch, it is impossible for you to accidentally freeze someone here."

He couldn't help smiling at that and the thought of, _'Trust Legolas' Mother to be called 'Gentle'._ ' Then a slight frown, _'Wait...Daell Soldottir ? She ended up in Arda...she met Thranduil, she had Legolas. The King of Alfheim was wrong, his daughter **wasn't** dead. That means Legolas is Sol's Grandson and they don't know ! He has to know and...I can't tell him now.'_

The varg nudged his hand and he patted her as the words, "How did you die ?", slipped out.

Daell's smile faded, "I was looking for some new flowers to show Legolas. It was dark by the time I had finished picking the El Varda." She dragged a hand through her hair and shuddered, "All I really remember is some orc with yellow-grey eyes glaring at me as I slashed his shoulder, before the pain of teeth in my throat. That horrid feeling of the blood leaving me, moreso was my regret that I would never be able to say good-bye to my little Leaf and Thranduil."

In response, he stated, "Valog tried to kill Legolas and myself many times on our journeys to Mordor. I 'befriended' him to save Legolas, Air, Acharn, Gail and Glam from being eaten. Then months later, after Gandalf's death, I helped Valog to kidnap Pippin and Merry to save them with Treebeard's help. The main thing is - I killed Valog yesterday or whenever it was, when he tried to kill Frodo and Sam. Valog is dead ! He won't ever eat anyone again. Legolas, Thor, Thranduil and everyone else, they're safe from him."

The dark-blond elf threw herself into his arms with tears of relief flowing down her face. Minutes passed before she calmed down before moving away and thanking him, he smiled at her.

Just then Skuld put a hand on his shoulder, the Norn started guiding him towards Valhalla with Daell, "Come Loki, some people want to meet you."

Seconds later the sound of distant and desperate shouting reached him; it was Legolas, "Come back, come back !"

As he turned to look back, that sky was so bright just like Thor's eyes. _'But, there's so much **pain** , Legolas - shattered and broken bones, bruises and that stab wound - all it is pain. Even if that would heal Pippin, Merry, Sam, Frodo, Boromir and Vanafin they're going to die in a heartbeat and I'll never see them again. If you got killed I'd never see you again either, I-I don't know if I could handle living like that. I love you two, but I'm sorry.'_

Reluctantly, he turned away before following Daell and Skuld to enter the golden hall. Alfar, Dwarves, Asgardians, Vanir and even Jotnar filled it, along with the dull roar of talking, boasting and the smashing of cups. _'Well, that's a waste of good spears - spears as rafters, Norns ! Golden shield roof, a varg pelt above the door and mail-shirts on the benches just like Father said.'_

One of the first Jotnar he saw was Great-uncle Bergloki - the six-headed Ymirson was, at twenty feet tall, one of the tallest things in the hall. Bergelmir was the next jotun he saw and at, only, ten feet tall, he looked far more like Laufey than Bergloki did. Slowly, he followed Skuld and Daell as they wound through the benches towards the two Jotnar.

Both sets of dark-red eyes looked down at him, before Bergelmir smiled, "My little Loki isn't so little anymore. You're a good boy, perfect manners even after how you were treated."

Pulled down onto the bench as he was he didn't know what to do, to say and looked over the table; when one of the Valkyries put a cup in front of him, he took and fiddled with it. "Er, thank-you, Grandfather."

Bergelmir replied, "I'm glad that you have found such wonderful friends. Hmm, and that the Odinson finally grew up enough. That Legolas though, I always liked him, ever since Daell introduced herself after we killed each other one day."

Sighed and took a sip from the cup, "What does it matter, Grandfather ? When Legolas either goes to Valinor or if he gets killed I'll never see him again or my other friends for that matter."

A new voice from behind Daell and Skuld said, "It is not simply a one-way trip, young Loki. One may go from Valinor or Mandos' Halls to Valhalla and back as often as one wishes. The Valar grant those who leave Valhalla to visit either, their bodies back. So, that they might see former friends and lovers again."

_'I could go and see Legolas, everyone when they reach Valinor. I wouldn't be with only Daell, Grandfather and Bergloki for company until Thor and Father arrive.'_

He turned to see Daell nodding and behind her stood what could only be Elros Earendilson. The only difference between the King of Numenor and Lord Elrond was their hair Elros's being white and their clothes - Elros wore a dark-golden robe embroidered with a great mallorn tree and a rayed star.

Daell turned and hugged the Numenorian saying, "Heill, friend Elros King.", as did Bergloki. Elros and Daell joined them as Skuld excused herself back to her Nornly/Maiarly/Valkyriely duties. They started to talk about how Asgard and Arda had changed since Elros and the others had died.


	68. Honour

_'I am part-Vala, I can do this. I_ _ **have**_ _to do this.'_ Thor was just about to fly off when Mother pulled his arm down. She stared at him with disbelief in her grey-eyes as she said, "Do you really want to do this, Thor ?"

"I wouldn't have to if you'd protected him better, Mother ! It's your fault, he's dead. If you had actually used your magic he'd still be alive !"

Mother shook her head, "I did my best to save him and it wasn't enough, I know that." A hand raised to brush and rest against his cheek as she continued, "Do you really want to dishonour him so by dragging him from Valhalla ? Do you really think that he would love you more for putting him back in that body ? Back into a body full of shattered and broken bones ? Of mental wounds from the Ring's influence that never would have healed ? Would yourself and Legolas be able to bear seeing Loki become so broken that you wouldn't have recognized him anymore ? Thor, if you really think this best...you're an idiot."

At the last sentence, the green Field of Celebrant blurred as the tears that had refused to fall yesterday welled. _'No, no, of course not. I-I, it's just not fair, why him ? He never did anything to deserve to die like that. All those times he took the blame for me - like with Thorgil and I never did anything to re-pay him.'_

**Flashback**

The forge exploded as he hit it with Mjolnir before he slammed into the wall. Loki who'd shielded himself from the blast, looked back at him. Emerald-green eyes were exasperated as Loki sighed, "Thor...you're an idiot."

As he picked himself up, Thorgil the Smith stormed in with his face red as his hair, "Which one of you Prince Dolts just ruined my forge ?"

Before he could say anything, Loki turned to look at the smith and stated, "I did it."

_'Why did he do that ?'_

Thorgil sneered while he walked up to inspect the damage, "Trust the magic brat to ruin my forge. At least, Thor's a man who can appreciate **real weapons**. Not only are you to help me rebuild my forge. **Also** you are helping me for the next forty years, Prince Loki."

While he rehooked Mjolnir, Loki quipped, "Yes, because, after all, it is not as if I had anything planned. It is just that, unlike you, I had a life until just barely. Thank-you so very much for ruining it, Thorgil."

"Well, His Highness is very much welcome."

It was enough to make him burst into a laughing fit.

**End Flashback**

Like a child, he collapsed against Mother, laid his head on her chest and wept. She ran a hand over his hair, "Thor, if you want him honoured then help your father correct Asgard's mistakes. Let them know just how much of their survival over the years they owe to Loki."

Legolas called softly as he approached, "Thor, my father along with Acharn, Air, Gail and, even, Glam are coming for Loki's funeral."

_'At least, we get to keep Heleg-skera for ourselves. Skulddamn Valog for stabbing Loki, if it hadn't been for that he could have survived.'_

Hours later, he stared as the darkness was further pushed back when lanterns revealed Thranduil. The elf-king looked very much like Legolas, except that the King of Mirkwood's hair was fully light-blond and he had blue-eyes. Thranduil stopped beside himself, Legolas and the skiff to look at Loki, "I should have liked to meet him."

His gaze drifted down to the boat as well - Loki clad in his, finally, repaired green, black and gold armour was laid with his arms crossed with a throwing knife in his right hand and a dagger in his left. While on the black-haired head, since the gold helmet had washed away in Isengard, was set Loki's white-metal circlet studded with emeralds and rubies.

Legolas nodded and said, "You would have liked him, Father. This is Thor, he was Loki's love as well."

As he looked back up he saw Thranduil's lips twitch, "More amazing would it have been to have three Kings of Mirkwood. I will have to settle for leaving two in my place."

"You're leaving Arda ? But, Father ?!"

Thranduil raised a hand and replied, "I have ruled Mirkwood for far too long without your mother at my side, Legolas. I would go to Valinor and try to find her. Else wise, I will be able to see my father again. You will make a good King, I've always known that you would."

_'Three Kings - Father, Thranduil and Aragorn - and two will-be Kings. It really should have been the three of us as well.'_

Air, Acharn, Glam and Gail approached after Thranduil passed them. Still it didn't seem like the night should have come or gone so quickly as it did. One second Pippin and Air were talking about Loki's knife-throwing skills, the next he willed a lightning bolt to strike Loki's pyre as it floated off the Anduin's surface and into the air. There was a ripple of, "Heill Loki."'s and "Fare thee well."'s as Legolas leaned against him.

Gandalf set off an emerald-green firework as Vanafin, Fenrir and Jormungandr froze the river and Fenrir's pack howled. _'Wait for us, love. So help us, Skuld, when we're done telling your feats everyone will know the honour of Loki Niss, son of Odin.'_


	69. Fenfar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations: Fenfar - 'Wolf-mischief/ Wolf of mischief', Vinrniss - 'Friend-ice', Saga - 'Story, history', Sinn - 'Time'

The streets of Gondor swarmed with not only Gondorians, but Elves, Asgardians and Jotnar. Legolas with Vanafin, Pippin and Gimli stopped for a second as the road was blocked by people. Above them the sky was bright and cloudless, it was a beautiful day.

It made him smile as two children - the jotun Fenfar Fenrirson and the other an Asgardian he didn't know - burst out of the crowd; Fenfar shouted, "No-o, I wanna be Loki ! You were him last time, Sinn. You can be Valog this time."

The light-blond Asgardian child responded as he stopped, windedly, "Valog...is a stupid orc ! I don't wanna be Valog, Fenfar."

Fenfar, his garnet-eyes glowing, thrust his tiny chest forward and stated, "Well, Loki was **my** grandfather !" When the five year old saw them, he exclaimed, "Ooh, hi, Uncle Pippin, Uncle Legolas, Uncle Gimli !", and rushed to knock Pippin to the ground in a hug. "Uncle Pippin, Uncle Pippin did you bring it ? Did you, did you ?"

Chuckled and moved to pull Fenfar off the red-brown haired hobbit as Pippin groaned slightly and replied, "Of course, I brought Vinrniss. It's the fifth anniversary of the War's end, after all."

Fenfar wriggled and exclaimed, "Yay !"

As he put Fenfar down, Gimli helped Pippin up and asked, "Where's young Loki 'n little Skuld, Fenfar ?"

Pippin walked over to the grey-stone wall and touched Vinrniss to it. When people noticed the ice spreading over the wall they finally started moving out of the way.

Fenfar answered while taking his hand and pulling him through the crowd, "With Uncle Thor by the White Tree waiting for the Lokisaga, Uncle Gimli. C'mon Sinn, you have to hear Uncle Thor tell it."

_'It's amazing four years later and everyone still wants to hear about him.'_

Besides Odin, Frigga, Thor and his own verbal tales of Loki, written copies bound in sapphire and ruby leather waited in Imladris, Gondor, the Shire and Erebor's libraries. What were they called ? The Tales of Loki The Protector or The Journey of Loki Niss: Guardian of Hope, Dispeller of Fear's Illusion.

When they reached the courtyard Thor, Merry and Boromir along with Denethor Boromirson, Sam and Aragorn sat at the white tree's base being showered in its golden leaves. He flinched as he remembered Loki's walking away under Glasir, five years to the day tomorrow and it still hurt like it happened yesterday. A ring of people sat around the tree and at the front would be Loki and Skuld Jormungandr's two year old children.

Thor smiled as he saw them and Fenfar kept pulling him to sit just in front of Thor beside Loki. Himself and Thor had been crowned the Kings of Greenwood before Father had left for Valinor after Loki's funeral. Still he remembered standing in front of the throne room that first time.

**Flashback**

Once again, he stood beside Thor in front of the double doors and the ghost of his long ago dream made Loki appear in between them. His heart ached terribly and his mind cried, _'You should be here !'_ , as it vanished like smoke.

Thor frowned slightly as the Asgardian looked down at him, but the understanding dawned seconds later. The guards pushed open the doors, the beige floor gleamed as himself and Thor walked toward the two thrones. For a second there was an illusion of his mother and Loki stood on either side of the thrones smiling at them. As he sat down on Fa-his throne the Circlet of Greenwood seemed to become lighter.

**End Flashback**

Gandalf, Frodo, Elrond and Galadriel had left Arda for Valinor four years ago. A lot had happened since then, three years ago - as Thor was a King of Greenwood, the succession of Asgard had fallen to Fenrir who had become Allfather of Asgard; after which he and Thor had gone with the hobbits to plant Sam's mallorn seed in the Shire. Two years ago - Theoden stepped down as King of Rohan so that Eomer could be King and Vanafin had become Third Marshall of the Mark. Pippin had become Thain of the Shire and with Merry's help had guided the Entwives down to Rohan and Fangorn. Treebeard had apparently been overjoyed to see Fembrethil again. While last year Jormungandr had, after bringing his wife from Jotunheim, decided to stay in Arda and live in Fangorn to help Treebeard protect the Ents and Entwives.

Thor asked, "Does anyone have a favourite that they want to hear ?"

Someone called, "Loki and the bilgesnipe !"

It made him laugh as Vanafin murmured in his ear, "Which time ? When he saved Fandral or on the way to Moria ?"

When he answered, "I think he means the one where Loki had strip to bandage Fandral's wounds.", Vanafin's dark-blue eyes glowed and the black-haired rohirric man laughed in response. Gimli leaned over to slap his shoulder as Aragorn and Boromir broke into chuckles.

A female voice shouted, "The last fight between Loki and Valog !"

The information that Loki hadn't been able to give them before he died they had gotten from Skuld who had wanted the tales to be complete.

Fenfar shook his bald head and said, "When you and Grandfather fought, Uncle Thor, and Grandfather came here !"

Black-haired little Denethor nodded, "Yeah, do that one. I like that one.", and the others agreed.

Merry reached out and grabbed Denethor before he could start climbing on the tree, "Quickly, Thor or Denethor is going to slip away again."

Aragorn took Denethor from Merry and handed him to Boromir. The Steward of Gondor smiled, "You're such a rascal, Denethor."

The little boy and Sam both said, "Just like Loki."

Thor ran a hand over Mjolnir as he remembered and replied, "The Fall of Loki Into Arda it is then. Come Legolas, help me tell of how you met each other."

So it was that he started telling of the day Loki fell out of the sky and into his life.


End file.
